Pink
by Ellis Alpha
Summary: About a month after the incident of Watermelon Island, Jasper finally breaks free from the earth: Only to find a pink gauntlet turning her world black. She wakes up the next day to a pink-haired girl that reminds her of some things she used to care about long ago. She helps Penelope try to make sense of who she is while she, herself, starts to understand Earth. (Cover made by me.)
1. PART 1

**Hey, guys.**

 **Due to the recent Steven Bomb and Jasper being corrupted, it gave me the inspiration for me to put a twist on the story.**

 **So, without further ado, I give you Penelope Pink.**

* * *

A little pink-haired girl reached up to pick an orange off the tree and placed it in the big basket right next to her with rest of them. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and admired her hard work that was her orchard and garden. It had taken her a couple of years for it to get like this, but it was well worth it. Not only did she had her own source of food, the surplus she got from it was sold at the Beach City Market for income. Nope, laziness is not allow for the pink girl! It was what she did to survive now and days.

She was about to reach for another orange when the ground shook beneath her. She grabbed the ladder for steadiness until it stopped. The small quakes have been going on for awhile now. It didn't affect any of the surrounding areas like beach city, which was a relief. But, it was only her area that got hit. Granted, she lived in a strange area with a weird crystal-like platform in her garden and what seemed to be some old ruins deeper in the forest area. Considering that was where the quakes seemed to be coming from and the fact that each moment of quakes seemed to have got a hair stronger recently, she decided to go check it out after she was done with the orange picking.

Thankfully, this was the last tree, as she nearly fell off the ladder after a much stronger quake. Something was definitely active in the ruins today, she might as well find out before it affected her garden.

Setting the basket aside with the others, she went inside her house to grab her sack, and with her arms to her stomach, her arms glowed as a pair of bright pink fist gauntlets manifest themselves on her arms.

"Alright. Time to see what's making a racket at the ruins today." She told herself, as she left the house on the straight path towards the ruins that she had visited so many times when she was younger. She knew the area like the back of her hand and had taken care of the "pests" that like to roam the ruins occasionally. Well, by "pests, you mean the creepy monsters that have been lurking around as of late. At first, the monsters scared her, then she figured out how to deal with them over time to where now it just became an annoyance for her.

The pink-haired one knew she was different and it wasn't just because of her hair either. She had a Pink gem stuck in her stomach that can manifest her gauntlets and bubble the weird gems that came from the monsters when she hit them hard enough. She had, at least, a dozen of them floating around her ceiling in bright pink bubbles cause she didn't know what to do with them. The good thing about the area was that there was nobody around for the next several miles cause of said monsters, and since she kept taking care of the monsters, she was left alone in peace with the exception of the market guy that came for the extra produce once a week. Honestly, she was hoping it was just another monster so, that she can just get back to work on her garden.

Another quake happened as she neared the ruins, it nearly threw her to the ground if she hadn't caught herself in time. Except this one wasn't stopping soon. She ran the short distance left to the ruins just as the quake had ended. For a moment, there was nothing, not even a monster in sight. She was beginning to think it was just a regular earthquake.

At least, that's what she thought when a red hand burst out of the ruin floor. She quickly hid behind an old pillar and waited till she can see what she was up against. She was shocked, however, that as the monster pulled itself out of the earth, it looked more humanoid than a monster. The bulky figure in question had long fluffy white hair, orange skin with red stripes, and the yellow, cat-like eyes. What surprised her more was that she had a nose-shaped gem. She wore a uniform with a yellow diamond in the middle. She looked had the stance of a soldier as she stood, panting from digging herself out of the Earth.

"Finally! I'm free from that horrible prison! Curse you, Rose Quartz! Using Fusion as a cheap tactic!" She exclaimed to herself.

Well, she couldn't blame her for that, despite wondering how she got down inside the earth to begin with and how long she's been done there. The pink girl couldn't truly say, but probably a long time and it involved this 'Rose' person. But, then again, she really didn't know anyone by that name nor what this 'fusion' thing is. What she did know is that this person didn't sound happy and probably need a nap. She sounded heavily tired, so a nap she will take: one way or another.

The pink girl prepared herself and snuck up on the large buff woman as she continued to rant angrily. Oh, yeah, definitely needs takes a nap. She jumped with a battle cry that startled the buff woman as she punched her hard in her gem into a pillar where she poofed. The pink girl inspected the fallen gem, surprised that it didn't crack under that kind of pressure from her gauntlets.

She bubbled the gem and walked back, thinking about the orange woman and how she definitely wasn't like the other monsters. She was able to talk, too. As she got back to the house, she made up her mind. Tomorrow, she'll talk to the buff woman cause she seriously needed to cool down for a day. Being stuck in the ground for so long probably made her cranky, which she wouldn't blame her for. Instead of letting it float to the ceiling, she letting it hovering over her bedside table. Releasing her gauntlets, she went back to work in her garden while hoping the woman's head will be cooled down by tomorrow.

* * *

 **Please tell me what you think and if this is worth continuing.**

 **Thanks,**

 **Ellis Alpha**


	2. Part 2

Hey, everyone. Ellis here.

So, a lot of you seemed to like this, so here's another piece. Like I said, I kind of want to put my own twist on this. I won't give out very many details/spoilers. But, if you want to literal something for you. Then feel free to write me a comment about it.

Now for Part 2!

* * *

The little pink-haired girl sat on the floor with the bubble gem from yesterday. It was ten o'clock in the morning and she really didn't need to do anything major at the moment. So, now was a good time as any for it. So, she stood up, got mentality prepared for the worst, and pop the bubble. After a couple of moments, the gem glowed and began to formed. Soon, the orange buff woman was kneeling in front her. She crouched before her, "Good morning, how do you feel?"

Her snapped at her, "A human? No, your hair's… pink…"

The pink girl narrowed her eyes, "Geez, what gave you that idea? Of course, my hair's pink, but believe or not, I am human…"

The buff woman laughed, "You got to be kidding me! With hair like that, you might as well be a gem yourself!" She stopped laughing after a moment, "Now who are you and what am I doing here?"

"Name's Penelope. Penelope Pink. As you can see, I live around here. I found you in the ruins near here. That place can be dangerous with all the monsters lurking there." Penelope stared at her now, "Now who are you?"

"I'm a Jasper! Known as the Perfect Quartz on Homeworld!" she said, almost proudly.

"Perfect quartz, huh? Well, that's a funny way of putting it given how I found you. Then again, what do I know? I'm just the weird Pink girl that's crazy enough to live around here." She turned and went to go put on her shoes.

"Wait! So, you know who poofed me?!" Jasper exclaimed.

Penelope looked at her, "Yes, I do."

"Who—"

Penelope brought out one of her pink Gauntlets and Jasper gasped, "YOU!"

"In my defence, you were a little crazy when you dragged yourself out of the ground! I only bubbled you for a day to cool off!" She returned the gauntlet, "Look, I don't mind if you stay or go. Just don't cause any trouble, or I WILL put you back in a bubble, got it?"

Jasper laughed, "I like to see you try, Pinky."

"It's Penelope, Cheeto Puff, and two can play at that game." She said, smiling.

Jasper looked both astonished and confused. Penelope heard her muttering Cheeto puff as she left to tend to her garden. She, honestly, could care less what the giant brute did as long as she didn't make a mess. Besides, today the market was coming for her oranges since they're in season right now. So, she had to get everything ready to go. She was in the middle of taking inventory when she finally noticed Jasper looking down over her shoulder at what she was doing.

"May I help you?" Penelope asked, annoyed.

"What are you doing? You're clearly a gem, so why do something as ridiculous as… grow food? Gems don't eat!" Jasper reasoned.

"Well, for one thing, I grow food to survive. Not only can you eat them, but also use them as a bartering tool for others goods that you do need. Surely, you have a similar system in your so-called Homeworld?" She explained, continuing her work.

"Well, yes. But, we still have no use for food!" Jasper argued.

"Well, then I'm clearly not a gem cause I have needs like hunger and sleep." Penelope clarified. As if on cue her stomach growled, meaning it was probably a good idea to get lunch soon.

"What… was that?" Jasper inquired, looking a little put off by the sound.

"Hunger."

The look on Jasper's face at her answer: priceless. Penelope smiled in satisfaction, "It's called being Human, Cheeto Puff. But, you wouldn't want to try and understand, now do you?"

She went back to work, wanting to at least finish up so that she can eat. By the time she was done, she noticed Jasper hadn't really budge. She stood there as if she was off in her own space somewhere.

"Hello, Earth to Jasper! You okay?" Penelope tried, a little concerned about this.

Jasper managed to snap back into reality, "Huh?"

"You alright? Spaced out on me there, Cheeto Puff."

"None of your business, Pinky. I was just remembering something is all. And what, in Diamonds name, is a Cheeto puff?!" She asked, highly confused now.

Penelope smiled now, "Come on. I'll show you." She took Jasper's hands and lead her back into the house towards the kitchen area. After rummaging through the snack cabinet, she pulled out the bag of cheeto puffs and pulled one out for Jasper to see.

"This is a Cheeto puff. It is a very delectable cheesy snack that we humans like to eat." Penelope explained, eating the puff for emphasis.

"…I do not look anything remotely like THAT." Jasper growled under her breath.

"No, but the two of you are similar in a number of ways. For example, both of you are orange, white, and poofy. And by poofy, I mean your extremely fluffy-looking hair. Seriously, can I touch it?" Penelope said, her eyes twinkling with stars.

"Uh… Why?" Jasper asked, slowly backing away from the now creepy-looking… gem child thing?

"Cause it's fluffy and it looks really, really soft." She replied, her smile getting bigger as managed to corner Jasper into the couch, "Please?"

Jasper, looking completely uncomfortable, decided to use couch as barrier by hopping over it and making a run for the door. Penelope ran after her cause she had the uncontrollable urge to get her hands on that hair. She, occasionally, had moments like these where she felt the need to admire or touch certain things. Usually simple things she saw every day, others were a new thing altogether. It was odd for her to do these kinds of things, but now she was just having fun with this one. Jasper, the 'Perfect Quartz', was trying to outrun her all because she was scared of one little pink-haired girl touching her wild, white mane of fluffy hair? It was kind of hilarious really. Occasionally, she'll throw things like empty baskets at her to try and slow her down. She evaded them and the moment Jasper stopped long enough, Penelope pounced and tackled her to the ground. Successfully, getting her hands of the fluffy mane of hair of a shocked Jasper.

"OH MY STARS, IT'S SO SOFT I COULD DIE!" Penelope exclaimed, happily buried her face in it.

"Please, do! Die happily if that's what it takes! Just don't touch me with THAT face again!" Jasper screamed, sitting up with Penelope still holding on to her like a koala to a Eucalyptus tree. Penelope giggled as Jasper pulled her off, "YOU are the most terrifying gem…thing I ever met! Just what kind of gem ARE you?!"

Penelope's giggling died at the question; her expression forlorn. "I'm nobody. I'm just a lowly pink-haired brat that runs a garden and hunts monsters by herself. That's all I want and that's all I'll ever need. I don't need to become something that someone else wants me to be. I just want be me: Penelope Pink. And no one will ever take that away from me!" She said, getting up and brushing the dirt off her.

"I have to go eat something. If you would, kindly, picking up the baskets, I'd appreciate it. But, like I said, do what you want. Just don't make a mess here." Penelope said, walking back to her house and left Jasper to herself.

* * *

So, how is it? Please leave a review.

Laters,

Ellis Alpha


	3. Part 3

**Hey, guys. Ellis here.**

 **So, I know I just post a new part hours ago. But, my creative juices were flowing so, I didn't stop typing nearly all day.**

 **Plus, I got a review! :3 (yay!)**

 **So, enjoy Part 3!**

* * *

A week. It has been a week since she left Jasper in the middle of her garden. She had left after, surprisingly, picking up the baskets. Penelope, strangely, wondered if Jasper wasn't as bad as she seemed. She'll probably never find out, though. Another thing she realised, was that it was suddenly a lot quieter now. She never really noticed till Jasper came along, but it was almost lonely without the orange brute.

Penelope was currently out in her rain coat as it was still raining in her area. She was checking up on the garden when she saw a familiar figure standing amongst the apple trees. "Cheeto Puff?" She called out to the figure.

Jasper looking over at her, she looked liked she had been rejected. She was extremely drenched. She looked miserable. It was something Penelope knew all too well. "Heh. Hey, Pinky. Didn't expect to see you, again." She chuckled, darkly.

Penelope just stared at her, wondering if this was how she looked years ago when was in a similar position to Jasper. Without thinking, she, slowly, reached out and grabbed her hand, "Come on. Let's get you inside. You'll catch a cold or something if you stayed drench like this."

She led her into the old house. It was an old cabin, but it was well made and she made some improvements and additions, like the loft that was her bedroom. Someone, most likely a big man, left some of his clothes here in the old bedroom. They look like they'll be big enough to fit her.

Jasper laughed, "Gems don't get sick."

"Well, what do I know then? You're still going to get dried off cause I won't let you stay in those clothes! I have some stuff that might fit you. So, take a shower or something. Towels are next to the toilet in the shelves. I'll be back with the clothes." Penelope said, bring her to the bathroom and shut the door to give her some privacy.

She went into the old bedroom that she never felt comfortable sleeping in, and grab a t-shirt and some sweat pants. She headed back to the bathroom and knock, "Are you decent?"

"I haven't really done anything yet."

"Good enough." She said, sighing a hair that Jasper seemed to have been coming back to her old self. She walked in to find Jasper holding a towel in front of her, not sure what to do with it. She smiled, "I take it Gems have no need for towels, baths, or anything involving a need for a bathroom?"

Jasper chuckled, "You're starting to catch on quick."

"Call it a hunch." She giggled, grabbing the towel and stepped up on the toilet so she was about as tall as Jasper, "Here. Like this." She threw the towel over her head and started drying her hair.

"You know, Gem bodies are just made of light, so we can just dry ourselves off with no use for these towels." She explained.

"Yeah? That's cool. Still, there's something…refreshing about things like taking a hot shower, getting dried off, and wearing comfortable clothes. But, that's just me." Penelope explains her side of the coin, pausing in middle of towel-drying Jasper's hair. They were both from different worlds, but they seem so similar to each other that it was a little shocking.

"Anyway, at least dry off and wear the clothes. Try my side for a change and be little lazy, maybe. You can find me on the couch afterwards." She said, leaving Jasper to her own devices.

Five minutes later, Penelope was on the couch watching Camp Pining Hearts in a comfortable, oversized grey sweatshirt and black leggings with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. She was thinking that Paulette needed to scram so, that Percy and Pierre can get together when she caught Jasper out of the corner of her eye. She turned to find that the clothes actually fit Jasper well, but she had the sleeves rolled up to better show off her muscles and was bare-footed. Her wild mane of hair was up in a simple ponytail. All-in-all, she looked comfortable, yet she looked uncomfortable.

"Looks like the clothes fit well. Care to join me? I'm just watching T.V. and there's hot chocolate if you want some." Penelope suggested, patting the space next to her.

"I'm not quite sure how this works." she admitted, plopping next to Penelope.

"There really is no point, you just sit around in comfortable clothes, relax, and virtually, do nothing. I watch Camp Pining Hearts to help pass time. It's a drama, a stupid romance show about these kids at camp." Penelope explained, sipping her hot chocolate.

"If it's stupid, why bother watching it?"

"Cause despite it being stupid, it is quite entertaining… I have the whole series if you want to watch it."

"Might as well, if I'm suppose to be 'lazy'."

"Now we talking!"

Penelope set down the hot chocolate as she went and grab her collection. After putting in the first disc, she poured her some more hot cocoa. "Want some?" she offered.

"I think, I'll pass." Jasper said in disgust.

Penelope shrugged and pressed play, "More for me, then."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. Percy and Paulette are together, yet they're on opposite teams and whining about not being on the same team during this so-called 'color war'?" Jasper asked, confused about the thing.

"Yep." Penelope drew out after pausing the show.

"That's stupid."

"But it's interesting to watch."

"I hate to admit it, but I agree with you for once."

"I'm pleased that I have successfully converted you into fan of Camp Pining Hearts."

"Please, I was just entertained by the stupidness of the whole thing."

"That is also true."

They both laughed, merely cause the whole conversation itself was dumb. But, nobody else was watching so, who cares?! As the laughter died down, they sat in silence for a moment.

"So, mind telling me why you came back?" Penelope asked, curiously.

Jasper sighed, "I didn't mean to come back. Stuff happened and I found myself back here again."

"I see… You want to talk about it?"

Jasper was silent for a long moment and Penelope sighed, "I won't press you. But, I will say from personal experience that it is better to talk about stuff than it is to hold it all in. So when you want to talk, I'll be here."

She yawned, "But now, I need to go to sleep. It's getting late. There's a bedroom around the corner, if you want to rest there for the night. Just don't be too loud, okay? G'night."

She climbed the ladder to the loft and snuggled under the covers. Down below, Jasper ponders on why Penelope is being nice to her and why she seems so familiar.

* * *

 **Enjoying yourselves yet? Please leave reviews, comments, or even questions.**

 **But, you won't get any sugar from me! ;)**

 **Laters,**

 **Ellis Alpha**


	4. Part 4

Hey, guys. Ellis here.

So, this story is really starting to pick up, apparently. Not a bad thing, of course. Then again, this story was mostly planned out, so it is easier to write.

Here's part 4!

* * *

 _Penelope found herself in a what looked like the ruins, except they didn't look like ruins anymore. Everything looked like it was built recently. She saw a figure by a pool of water that, by now, has dried out. She found herself going up to the figure and asked, "Why… Why come back now? Who are you?"_

 _The figure smiled and began to hum the most beautiful song she ever heard as she ran her fingers through the water._

Penelope woke up with a start. She realised it was merely just a dream and look around to find that Jasper was nowhere to be found. Thinking that she left again, she sighed and got ready for the day. It wasn't till she stepped outside that she found Jasper wandering around the garden at the crack of dawn. She smiled, "Morning. Did you sleep well or do Gems not sleep, too?"

Jasper chuckled, "Right again, Pinky."

She laughed a little, then noticed that Jasper still had on the clothes from last night. Penelope realised that Jasper might want a few more clothes if she was going to stick around for awhile. Plus, she needed some stuff from town anyway.

"So, I need to go into town today. Would you like to come with?" she asked, hoping to learn more about Jasper.

Jasper stared at her for the moment, "Sure. I got nothing better to do right now."

Penelope smiled, "I just need to grab my bag and we'll go."

When she did return with her bag she noticed Jasper went back to her uniform, which Penelope could care less of what she wore and they headed off to town. Jasper asked about the warp pad. She simply told her that she didn't know how to use it nor where else it'll lead to, so she never bothered with it. Though, it would be nice if there happened to be one in town or at least closer to it. It'll make her trips a lot easier that way. She, unconsciously, said that out loud, making Jasper chuckle and her blushing in embarrassment.

"Shut up… A girl can dream, can't she?" She muttered under her breath.

Jasper shrugged, "I guess so."

Things were quiet for a moment till Jasper spoke up, "So, how far is this town again?"

"About 5 miles. It is a long walk, though." She admitted.

Jasper chuckled, "That's nothing for me. I can walk across the world without getting tired."

"Lucky. I'm actually jealous of you."

"You are?" Jasper seemed surprised, instead of her usually prideful self.

"Yeah. I mean, there are actually a lot of things that amaze me about you gems. Like I'm envious of your stamina and your ability to never let anything get you down for too long. You never seem to truly give up on anything really, you just keep going. In a sense, it's amazing. However, I'm also aware that it can hurt you a lot more than it can help you. So, I see it more as a double-edged sword; something that you have to learn to balance before you end up destroying yourself instead. Does that make sense?" She explained, looking up at her.

Jasper frowned, "So are you saying I should just give up?"

Penelope shook her head, "I'm saying that you need to learn how to better pick-and-choose your battles. You need to accept that there are some battles that you can't win and learn from them as to improve yourself and not make an even bigger mistake in the future. Cause believe or not, there are and will always be things that we regret in the end."

She saw Jasper looking insulted at what she had said and sighed, "You don't always have to listen to my advice. All I ask is that you take the time to think about it when you get the chance. I think that's reasonable, yeah?"

"Fine." She muttered.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence till they hit Beach City. Penelope made a beeline for the clothing store with Jasper following behind her. The woman behind the counter knew Penelope but was surprised to see Jasper, who to her knowledge was new to town.

"Hello, dear. And who this you have with you today?" She asked, curiously.

"This is Jasper. She's in the military and is on leave for awhile. She needs some new clothes cause it's been awhile since her last leave and she's gain a lot of muscle since then. Got anything in her size?" Penelope asked, technically not lying in since Jasper was technically stuck here from what she knew and she was a soldier.

"Well…" the woman said, pondering for a moment, "Give me a moment."

As she went to get some things for Jasper to try on, Jasper leant down next to her, "Uh, I don't really need clothes since I'm a gem, remember? Besides, I don't really think I'll be here for long."

"True. But, you, also, don't know how long it'll be before you can go back either. Might as well prepare, just in case. I mean, I would think you like to get out of that uniform from time to time, right?" Penelope reasoned.

"Well, you really didn't have to let me stay with you! I could survive by myself!"

"Yeah, but wouldn't you be lonely doing that? I, honestly, really don't mind you staying with me. Besides, I really enjoyed watching Camp Pining Hearts with you last night. Maybe… we can do stuff like that more?" She offered, shyly.

Jasper was speechless, "I—"

She was cut off when a bunch of clothes was shoved into her arms. "Try these on, dear. They should fit you just fine." The woman said, proudly.

"All of them?" Jasper asked in disbelief.

Penelope laughed, "You don't have to try all of them. Just pick some stuff that you like and we'll go from there."

Jasper stared uncomfortably at the clothes, "If you say so…"

An hour and several clothes later, Jasper had a decent bag of clothes that Penelope deemed suitable. "Why do humans bother spending so much time on things like this?" Jasper muttered, exhausted from the action of trying on multiple clothes.

Penelope shrugged, "Some people just find it enjoyable."

"THAT was not enjoyable." She commented.

"'To each their own', then."

They headed over to the market for some groceries. Penelope caught Jasper eyeing the strawberries, so she slipped some into her basket when she wasn't looking. She was pretty sure she saw Jasper's eyes twinkled when she notice the strawberries at the checkout counter. Outside the market, Penelope noticed a young girl walking alongside her mother, chatting happily with her. She didn't notice how badly she stared when she finally heard Jasper yelling at her, "Pinky! Is your gem cracked or something?! You said that it was important that we get the milk home!"

She turned Penelope around to face her and a strange look appeared on her face, "Why are you crying? Did that human child harm you or something?! Do I need to shatter them?!"

Penelope blinked before she slowly started laughing.

Jasper started to panic, "Pinky? What's wrong with you? I-I not sure how to fix you. I-"

"No, no! I'm okay! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's nothing, really!" Penelope assured her, wiping away her tears, "Come on, let's head back!"

She grabbed Jasper's hand as they headed back home with their supplies. Penelope smiled. She wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

So, there was some feels being twisted. Please feel free to lend me your thoughts.

And now, I can finally sleep!

Laters,

Ellis Alpha


	5. Part 5

Hey, everybody. Ellis here.

This took a little bit longer than usual, but it's all good.

On to Part 5!

* * *

Penelope slapped Jasper's hand away from the strawberries, "I know Gems probably can't get sick either, but I do! So, let me wash them."

Jasper groaned, but waited patiently for the strawberries to be deemed edible. Once so, she immediately grabbed a strawberry and popped it into her mouth. Penelope giggled at the sight, despite Jasper telling her to shut up.

"There was something I was meaning to ask, though." Jasper said, catching Penelope's attention, "Most humans your age are supposed to have older humans accompanying them, right? So, where are the older ones that live with you?"

Penelope stared at her with an empty look on her face. It would later remind Jasper of the look of other Homeworld soldiers. She almost thought Penelope wouldn't talk about it till she heard, "Those humans... They're called 'parents'... And I don't have any..." She paused, grabbing a knife to cut the strawberry tops off, "I was found abandoned, shortly after I was born. I never met my parents and I probably never will. I don't care either way... It's not like they'll ever come back for me." She let out a dry laugh as she chopped a strawberry top a little forceful than it should be, "...Nobody ever wants me..."

She stared at the cutting board as tears started to well up in her eyes, the knife was stuck in the board. She felt a big hand touch her shoulder and just hug the buff orange woman. She buried her face into her uniform and began to crying her eyes out. After a moment, she felt two muscular arms hug her back, surprisingly gentle for someone like her. It wasn't much, but it helped eased the pain she felt for her parents. She knew Jasper didn't have so much as a "motherly" bone in her body, but she was, at least, trying to comfort her. In a way, Penelope considered her more of a long lost military aunt that had been away at war for so long, she didn't know how to act "normally". And that was okay, cause she was still here.

As time passed, she stopped crying as she held Jasper. "Sorry. I got your uniform messy." She said, pulling away to wipe her remaining tears. She still remained close to her, though, afraid for this to be just a dream that she didn't want to end.

Jasper shrugged, "It's disgusting, but I don't care right now. I have those 'comfy clothes' I can wear again. You good, Pinky?"

Again with that nickname, she smiled, though. "Yes, Auntie." She sniffed.

"'Auntie' now? Is it another human snack?" Jasper asked, confused.

She laughed, "No! It just means you're like… an older relative; a member of the family. It's similar to being a parent, but I'm not your child."

"Oh…" Jasper was silent for a moment, "…Gems…"

"Don't have families, do they?" Penelope finished for her.

Jasper nodded, "I know some Gems called themselves sisters, but that's as close to a family as we can get." She chuckled and ruffled her hair, though, "You amaze me, Pinky."

She giggled from the affection, "So, are all Gems considered females, then?"

"You got it. Though, we really don't have a specific gender." Jasper confirmed.

"And Gems are made?" She asked, cautiously.

"Right again, Sister."

She stood there in silence, 'Then how is it that I exist, if my mom was a Gem…?'

She must have been silent for too long, cause Jasper looked concerned again. She shook her head to clear the thought, "Ah, it's nothing. Just thinking is all." Though, the thought still lingered in the back of her mind.

Then it hit her, "You called me 'Sister'."

Jasper blushed, "Yeah, what about it?"

"So, I'm not Pinky, anymore?" She asked, excited.

"No, you'll still be Pinky. I just didn't feel like calling you that at the moment." Jasper stated with a shrug, but grinned at her.

"Ahh~" she whined, playfully. They laughed until both of them heard noises outside in the Garden. Penelope eyes widened and ran out the door to find a monster in her garden that resembled a panther of sorts, except with six legs and a split tail. It was trying to eat the fruit off her trees.

"Another monster? But, none of them ever venture outside of the ruins!" She said, shocked.

"You call that worthless thing a monster?! That's a Corruption! They're merely Beasts." Jasper sneered, as she came up behind her.

"Corruption? You know what, explain later. I'm gonna take care of it!" She said, quickly as she summoned her gauntlets.

She quickly and quietly snuck up the so-called corruption and tried to take by surprise. It noticed her before she could land her hit and dodged. It was pretty crafty, but this wasn't the first time she handled one like this. She just had to think fast to outsmart it and land the hit!

It pounced and she rolled out of the way into a defensive crouch, trying to find an opening. She remained on defense, dodging the creatures attacks till she got caught off guard by the corruption's split tail whacking her back into a tree. She felt her head hit rough bark of one of her fruit trees and winched at the pain that came as her vision blurry slightly. When it return, she saw the corruption lunged for her and put her gauntlets over her face, preparing for the worst.

But, the attack never came as she heard it yelp in pain. She looked up to find that Jasper had grabbed the corruption's split tail and threw it to the ground which gave the perfect opening. She, immediately, got up to rush over to jump and land her strike right in the corruption's stomach. The corruption was poofed instantaneously, leaving behind an odd blackish gem that she bubbled after catching her breath.

"That… was a bit too close for comfort…" Penelope said, walking back towards the house.

"You think? That weak thing looked like it was going to shatter you in one hit. What were you thinking letting yourself get thrown like that?!" Jasper yelled, following her into the house.

"I didn't expect to get hit by its tail! I was careless, I know! I'll be more prepared next time!" She argued back, letting the bubble drift towards the ceiling with the others, "It's not my first time fighting these… Corruptions! I've been fighting them off my territory for a couple of years now! That one just tripped me up is all!"

"Your form was weak and your defense needs work! I'm surprised you lasted this long fighting those miserable weaklings!" Jasper criticised.

"Then, teach me how to fight better!" Penelope yelled, standing her ground.

"I— What!?" she was shocked at the demand.

"Teach me how to fight better. What is it that I lack and how can I make so that I don't end up getting hurt or worse?! I, mostly, self-taught myself how to fight from nothing! You, on the hand, are a more experienced fighter and can give me advice on how to improve myself. So, please, teach me! I'll do anything you ask!"

Jasper seemed skeptical, "Anything?"

"Yes, anything." Penelope replied without a moment's hesitation.

Jasper thought for a moment, before sighing, "Fine. I'll help you. But, fair warning, I will not go easy on your sorry gem!"

"I expect nothing less." She replied, seriously.

"Heh, You're a tough one, aren't you, sister?" Jasper chuckled, ruffling Penelope's hair again, "We'll get started in the morning. Just get a good night's rest for now, I suppose. You're going to need it."

Penelope smiled wide, "Yes, Auntie!"

* * *

So, have I peaked your interest yet? Please, review.

Fun fact: I was, originally, going to make another Jasper (eye) be Penelope's guardian in the original drafts. She had an "eye" for building things!

Laters,

Ellis Alpha


	6. Part 6

Hey, everyone. Ellis here.

So, I received a very excellent question of whether or not Penelope will encounter the Crystal Gems. She will soon. But, I won't say much more than that.

On to Part 6!

* * *

Penelope slammed her gauntlet against the rock that was thrown at her, shattering it into slightly larger pieces.

"Is that all you got, Pinky?! I know your sorry gem can do better than that! I want to see you make pebbles out of these rocks! Do I make myself clear?!" Jasper yelled at her like a drill sergeant ready to make you work til you can't even move the next day. She would know, that was her on day one. It's been a week since she asked Jasper for her fighting wisdom, her body burned from the intense workout and her arms burned in pain from punching rocks. She hated the pain, but that didn't stop her one bit.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" She yelled at the top of her burning lungs.

Jasper threw another large boulder at her and she gave it her all. This one broke into smaller pieces, but it wasn't enough. She'd called it an improvement if she wasn't so focused on the rocks Jasper was throwing. The thing with Jasper is that she rarely stopped, and won't stop till she is satisfied with your progress. She, definitely, wasn't kidding when she said she wasn't going easy on her. But, nevertheless, she'll give it two hundred percent and nothing less!

After five more boulders, Jasper sighed, "Alright, that's enough! Looks like we hit your limit for today."

"No! I can keep going!" She begged, her knees were shaking, though.

"You're barely keeping yourself up! We've been at this for two hours. Rest!"

"Then, one more! Just one more rock and I'll quit!" She persisted, knowing she can hit the last one! She can feel it!

She and Jasper were locked in a staring match for a minute before Jasper sighed, "Fine, but don't come cry to me if you poof yourself!"

"Don't go easy on me now, Auntie! I got this!" Penelope said, readying herself for the last boulder.

Jasper chuckled as she picked up a boulder a bit bigger that the previous ones. Penelope steeled herself, but couldn't help the nervousness that fluttered at her stomach. She might have bitten off more than she can chew. It was too late to back down now, though. 'I can do this.' She thought, 'I will be strong.'

Jasper threw the boulder. As it came closer, time seemed to have slowed. She cocked her fist back, aim, and struck as it drew close enough. The minute her fist connect with the boulder, she was blinded slightly by a bright pink light. That didn't distract her from her target, though. The boulder started to crack and slowly broke apart into smaller and smaller pieces as the light grew brighter, blinding her completely. It wasn't until a minute later that she realised her gauntlets were faintly glowing, the boulder was reduced to gravel, and Jasper looked flabbergasted. She blinked.

"I… I did it…" she said, softly. A grin slowly spread on her face, "I did it!"

She tried to jump and raise her fists in victory but succeeded in falling on her face instead. "Ow…" she muttered, forgetting that she hurt all over as her gauntlets disappeared.

Jasper came over, still looking shocked, "What… was that?"

Penelope lifted up her head to face her, "I don't know, but I did smash it into tiny bits!" She grinned at herself for her achievement.

"No, you don't understand. I saw a bright pink lion coming from your gauntlet and shattering that rock to bits!" Jasper explained, her current expression sudden making sense to Penelope now.

Then she registered the words. "Lion?" she questioned, her eyes twinkling with a familiar look that Jasper knew well.

"Oh, Diamonds! No!" Jasper exclaimed, terrified.

Penelope giggled, "No, no! I'm not going for your hair again… Although, it is really soft. No, I just really like lions! They're like giant fluffy cats!"

"Right..." She said, a little uneasy, "So, why are you still on the ground?"

"It needed a hug. It's a very emotional moment." Penelope stated, sarcastically.

Jasper chuckled, "Uh-huh. Do you need help?"

"Yeah, you might as well just carry me. I can't feel my body at the moment."

"Why not just retreat into your gem for healing?" Jasper asked, picking her up and carrying her inside.

"You can do that?" She asked as she was settled on the couch.

"I can."

"Well..." She started, "I don't think that I can. I mean, I have gotten badly hurt to the point of limping once and I still haven't poof!"

"Heh. Then, that just means you're a tough one like me," Jasper chuckled, smiling, "Jaspers don't give up till we get what we want."

Penelope laughed, though it hurt to, "That does sound like you! So, are there a lot of gems on Homeworld?"

"Tons. Granted, I only met a handful of them. Others..." Jasper paused, her voice softening, "Others were lost in battle..."

Penelope stared down at her battered hands; at her belly, where her gem lay. She gave out a weak laugh, "War's the same no matter where you go, huh?"

Jasper smiled, bitterly, "That pretty much sums it up, sister. Sometimes, I forget how clever you are. I even forget that you are not a normal gem. You're different."

"Is that a bad thing?" She asked, concerned.

Jasper sighed and sat down next to Penelope, "There was a time where I thought it was. Now," She shrugged, "I'm not that sure. Maybe, I'm growing soft on this planet. Maybe, it's because I was made here. I'll never know."

"You're from here?!" Penelope asked, both shocked and confused.

Jasper nodded, "Was made about five thousand years ago in the Beta kindergarten. We were in the middle of war, then. See, this planet was, originally, Pink Diamond's, as all gems were made to serve the diamonds and them alone. It was going to be a wonderful colony, but there was a group of gems. They like the planet just the way it was. They didn't want to see it turned into a colony. It started as a rebellion, nothing really personal. Until the leader of the rebellion, Rose Quartz, shattered her: Pink Diamond. The war started after that."

She grew quiet now. Penelope was afraid to talk for fear that Jasper wouldn't say anymore. This was most she got out of Jasper, as she rarely talked about the things that plagued her. Still, curiosity got the better of her.

"How did it happen? Her shattering?" Penelope asked, cautiously.

Jasper looked at her with a defeated expression, "I don't know. I was still incubating in Beta at the time; still underground. But, I heard rumours that she was ambushed when it happened. I woke up to a war zone and been fighting ever since."

Penelope stared down at her lap again, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make more painful for you."

She felt one of her big hands ruffling her hair and looked up to find a sad smile on the bigger Gem.

"It's not your fault. It was thousands of years before your time." She said.

Penelope hugged the bluff gem, "But, she was your Diamond; one that you never got to meet... I know you can't change the past, but I wish that things were different; that we can keep the planet the way it is and you can still have your home, your Diamond, and that you didn't have to ever go through that!"

She felt her gem and heartache as said that. It felt like her heart broke for Jasper, for the rest of the Gems that never got to meet their leader, and for the ones lost in the heat of war. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was guilty in some way. She couldn't figure it out, though. But right now, Jasper came first.

Jasper hugged her back and let out a small laugh, "Such a strange little Gem you are. I don't even know what your gem is nor what you are."

"That's okay. I prefer it that way. I don't want to be judged by my gem nor what I am, I rather be liked for who I am. That's all that matters to me." Penelope said, gently, "Besides, I really hate my gem. It's caused me so much grief in the past that I avoid looking at it. I know its a part of me, though. But, I still can't bring myself to acknowledge its existence. That's why I was upset when you asked me what my gem was. I just wanted to be me. You can call me strange, but it's part of who I am."

"I don't that there is a point with accepting yourself or not. But, with you, you are your own gem in a sense. As I said, you're different. But, it fits you well. Maybe, you should make yourself to a point where you can accept your gem again. But, you'll still be the strange little pink gem to me." Jasper said, ruffling her pink hair more till she was in a fit of giggles.

"Thanks, Auntie."

"No. Thank you, Sister."

After a moment, Penelope felt like she can walk again and went to take a quick shower. She came out of the bathroom wearing a pink t-shirt and shorts and had her first aid kit in tow. She was covered in scratches and cuts from their training. Jasper was helping her bandaged up her hands when she asked about the pink bubbles in the ceiling.

"Those? They're the mon- I mean, corruptions that I fought since coming here. They come back if I leave their gems. So, I bubbled them to keep them from coming back. It stays quieter that way." Penelope explained.

"Have you ever hunted them down before?" she asked, thinking.

"Only if they cause trouble in my area, but they, mostly, just stay near the ruins. So, I never had to leave with them. Why do you ask?"

"I think we should see how you do against them now. I 've ran out of rocks." Jasper said, smiling.

* * *

So, what do you think will have next?

Night,

Ellis Alpha


	7. Part 7

Hey, guys. Ellis here.

So, my creative streak hit again! Always a good, right.

Part 7, everybody!

* * *

Penelope walked into Beach City, dressed in all black with the exception of a pink sash around her stomach and carrying her instrument case. Jasper has been out looking for a corruption for her to catch that'll test her abilities so far. It's been 3 days since she left, so today, she decided to play on the boardwalk. She hasn't done it in awhile. So, it was a nice change of pace. Besides, she was confident that Jasper wouldn't be long in finding one. Still, she left a note just in case Jasper came back before she did.

She found a nice spot on the boardwalk and set up with her accordion. Sure, she could have gone with a guitar and such, but there was something about this instrument that she fell in love with it when she found it in the spare room. It was well taken care of, so it played wonderfully, too.

She giggled to herself. Perhaps, Jasper was right, she was a little strange. But, that didn't stop her from running her fingers down the keys and buttons as she began to play a funky tune. She had also discovered a band that used the accordion in an Indie rock style that she adored and found inspiration from. Occasionally, she'll hum to the tune and tapped her foot to the rhythm. She closed her eyes as she played, letting the music overtake her soul.

As the piece neared its end, Penelope opened her eyes only to find another pair staring back at her at close proximity. She let out a yelp as she nearly dropped her accordion.

"Whoa! Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you! I heard somebody playing and found you!" Said the short girl, laughing.

She had purple tinted skin and long, pale lavender hair that looked just as fluffy as Jasper's. The purple stone on her chest told her that this shorty was a Gem. She held out her hand, "Amethyst. I live around here."

Penelope smiled and took it, "Penelope Pink. I live just outside of Beach City."

"That explains why I never seen you around before. So, what is this thing? I've never seen anything like it before!" She asked, fascinating by her instrument.

"It's an accordion. You don't see too many of them now and days, though, but I love it!"

"It's so weird, but the way you play it is awesome!" She laughed, "Hey, did you dye your hair pink?"

She shook her head, "No, it's my natural color, unfortunately. I tried dying it to something else but, it always goes back to being pink the next day. So, yeah, it's weird..."

Amethyst eyes widen, "It's natural?! So, do you have one of these?" She pointed to her gem.

"Yeah. And yes, it is pink. Are you a Gem from Homeworld?" Penelope asked, cautiously.

"Pff... You wish. I was made here on Earth." Amethyst stated, annoyed.

"Oh, Beta kindergarten?"

"Prime, actually. How do you know about the kindergartens?"

"Auntie told me, she came from there."

"There's another Earth Gem besides me?! I thought I was the only one here!"

"Apparently, not, it seems. Are there other Gems here?" She asked, putting away her accordion.

Amethyst shrugged, "There are, but not a whole lot to be honest."

"I see. Sorry, I never met another Gem besides Auntie before. I'm glad I got to meet you."

"Likewise. I never thought I would find another Gem hybrid! So, who was your mom?"

Penelope stared down at her feet, "I don't know. I was abandoned when I was born."

Amethyst looked guilty, "O-oh, geez. Sorry. I didn't-"

"It's okay! I'm, mostly, over it now, anyways." Penelope laughed, nervously.

"Well, with your mom, it's understandable. But, you don't have a dad either?"

"No. But, what do you mean about my mom?" She was confused, "She left me! She didn't want me! How is that understandable!?" Penelope nearly yelled at her.

Amethyst sighed, "Look. You're not the only gem hybrid I met. We have one named Steven. His mom was a good friend of ours. She gave up her form so that he could be born. We didn't understand it at first, but we now know that we wouldn't have him now if she didn't love him enough to do that! That's what your mom did. She gave up her form so that you can be something incredible out of love. I don't think that she would have never ever wanted you to be alone. I'm sorry it happened that way, but I don't think she did it on purpose. Otherwise, why else would you be here?"

Penelope stared at her. She's right, she had completely forgotten that Gems were made of light; that they were made in general. They weren't made to have babies to begin with. To have one is to give up their own existence. She laughed, it all made sense. Why she was found in a locked apartment building with no other way out. Why the locks weren't messed with in days. Her mom didn't have a choice, but to leave her there, even though, she didn't want her to be born alone.

"I… I am so stupid." Penelope laughed at herself as tears streamed down her face.

Amethyst hugged her, "No, you're not stupid. You probably didn't even know what you were, didn't you?"

She shook her head, "No one did. They did multiple tests on me and used me as a lab rat. They, actually, tried to remove my gem, but I ran away before they could. I used my weapon for the first time that day, but only to hurt people so that I can get away. I was scared, so I ended up here. Is that wrong? To hurt people like that?"

Amethyst looked mad at her, "Okay?! Sister, they were trying to remove your gem without any concern for your wellbeing! None of us even know what could've happened if they did do it! We won't even try! It may have felt wrong to do that to them, but they were going to hurt you! That gives you every reason you have to defend yourself!" She hugged her, "But, I glad you're alright. I can already tell that you're awesome and we've just met! I can tell you that you are, definitely, safe around here. That's for sure. And if nothing else, you have me and this 'Auntie' gem of yours, okay? Us shorties have to stick together, right?"

Penelope smiled as she wiped her tears, "You bet! Because hey, you're awesome, too!"

"I know I am, sister. I was made that way!" She said, grinning at her as she hooked her purple arm around her shoulders.

Penelope laughed and grin back, "I like you a lot!"

They hung around the boardwalk, chatting away like childhood friends that haven't seen each other in years till the sunset. Penelope was surprised just how much time flew by.

"Oh, geez! I have to get back! I got a long walk home." Penelope said, embarrassed that she lost track of time. She started grabbing her case.

"You want me to walk back with you?" Amethyst offered.

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you, though."

"Then, at least, let walk you out of Beach City. After what you just told me, I really don't want you to be alone."

"If you insist, then."

So, they walked together in silence till the reach the edge of the city. The sunset was nice, giving everything an amber glow. Penelope turned to her new friends, "Thanks again, Amethyst. Can I ask a favour from you, though?"

"Sure, what do need?" She said, chilled.

"Can I ask that you keep my gem a secret for now? It's not that I don't trust you, but after what I been through, I really don't want to take any chances. Besides, I want you to like me because I'm me, not because I'm the daughter of some Gem that may or may not had been important." She admitted, nervously.

Amethyst just nodded in understanding, "I gotta ya, P.P.! I won't say a word unless you're ready! Just hit me up whenever you're here!"

"You got it. See ya!"

"Later. Be careful walking back!" Amethyst said, heading back into the city.

Penelope waved after her before heading back home herself. She sighed five minutes into the walk. 'Alone again…' She thought till she heard someone call, "Pinky!"

She looked up the find Jasper walking towards her, "Hey, what are you doing here, Auntie.?"

"It's getting dark. You shouldn't be out alone right now! I came to get you for that reason!" Jasper stated, her arms crossed. Penelope could tell that she was worried about her, though.

"Sorry, I got caught up in a conversation with someone. I think you two would get along if you met." She told the bigger Gem as they started walking again.

"Really now?" she asked, curiously.

Penelope nodded, "So, did you find one?"

Jasper grinned, "Better. I found two potential corruptions for you. You're going to need to dress warm, though."

Penelope gulped, "Why?"

* * *

So, I did write this to fit with most of the storyline from the original series (Again, this is just my twist on it!). But, there is a reason I'm writing this, guys. I write about the "what ifs" in stuff like this. Penelope Pink is one of them. She's a hybrid that is lost, scared, confused about herself, and, most of all, alone. She didn't even know she was a hybrid until she met Amethyst! She took two years to make something of herself and to deal with what all she been through! Unlike Steven, she had no one to help her coop with anything up till now! Now that she's met other Gems that accept her, despite not knowing what her Gem is, she's happy. Think about this as you read it because I think that this is something to consider about this series! Especially with the characters in SU!

Thank you,

Ellis Alpha


	8. Part 8

Hey, guys. Ellis here.

Sorry, it took awhile. I was trying to piece this one together nicely. But, I surprised myself on this one.

There is a song in here, but I wrote it. I hope you enjoy it.

Part 8 adventure!

* * *

"Do we really have to do this?" Penelope asked, staring at the warp pad, "For all I know, it could be broken!"

She never had any need for the pad nor did she think it was safe for someone like her. Yeah, it would be nice to use it. But, Gems were the only ones to operate it! What if something went wrong while she was being teleported?

"I used it to get back, so I know that both pads are definitely not broken. I've seen humans get transport on these and they came out intact, too. You'll be fine! I know what I'm doing!" Jasper said, waiting for her to finally get on the pad, "Quit making excuses and let's go already! They'll be gone if we don't hurry it up!"

Penelope let out a dreadful sigh and put on the rest of her winter gear before grabbing her bag. She really hoped that Jasper was right about the warp pad. She walked onto the pad with Jasper and stood very close to her. She was nervous about first warp trip.

"It'll be fine as long as you keep inside the warp. You can hold on to me if it makes you feel better." Jasper instructed.

Penelope simply nodded as she reached for Jasper's hand. She was as ready as she'll get at this point. She ended up putting her arm in a death grip as a pillar of light shot them both into a space warp. She didn't even realised that she had closed her eyes until Jasper said something.

"You can let go now, Pinky, we're here." Jasper said in a flat tone.

Her eyes popped open to see that they have indeed arrived at their destination. She, slowly, let go of Jasper as she took in the snowy landscape of the wilderness. She never been this far out before, but it was all beautiful despite it being pink from the rose-tinted snow goggles. She really couldn't imagine any corruptions wandering this place. She shook her head, she was here on a mission!

She turned to Jasper, "So, where do we start?"

"Well, I know they shouldn't be too far from here. So, pick a direction and we'll go from there." Jasper instructed, calmly.

She was high alert in case something tried to ambush them. But, Penelope was confident that they'll be fine, despite the frozen weather. Thank goodness, she'd brought some snacks since they might be here all day hunting. Picking a random direction, they started walking. They spent about an hour searching, till Penelope tripped on a large tree root and found some corruptions tracks.

She giggled, "Looks like the 'trip' was worth it. I think I found its tracks!"

Jasper crouched down to take a look, "So, you did. Good work, sister." She patted Penelope's head.

They both got up and followed the tracks to two sleeping monstrous forms in a cave. Jasper signaled her to pull back for a bit and to be quiet doing it.

Now, Penelope found early on that Jasper was not very good at sneaking. When Jasper woke her up trying to get a small snack consisting of strawberries, she was trying not to make a sound when she was really making a bunch of ruckus with her large form. She says that Jaspers are not made to be that dexterous. But Penelope disagreed, telling the brute Gem that she can be the most dexterous Jasper if she wanted to and she was willing to teach her the basics if she was willing to learn. Jasper was skeptical about it, so Penelope turned her own words against her saying that she bet Jaspers NEVER back down from a challenge. She pounced on it like a cat to a canary. She spent an hour with Jasper on it for the first three days after her training, and, secretly, caught her practicing in the middle of the night.

Now, she was making soft crunches in the snow, but it wasn't enough to wake up the corruptions. Penelope called it progress. Once in a safe distance, Jasper spoke, "Okay, here's how we're going to do it: I'm going to sneak in and attack one of them. You stay out here to get the other if it escapes. Got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Penelope chirped, ready to go. Since she had been in a real fight with these corruptions, she felt confident in her combat experience. "I got this!"

Jasper chuckled, "Don't get too cocky, Pinky."

Penelope got into position and watched as Jasper snuck back into the cave. It was quiet for a moment before a loud roar came be heard from the cave. Penelope was one guard cause in the next instant both corruptions came charging out of the cave towards her. Penelope's eyes widened as she dove out of way. She watched them escape before turning her attention back towards the cave.

"Auntie!" she called out, racing towards the cave as she saw Jasper walked out slowly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She groaned, "I've been through a lot worse. Did you at least get one of them?"

"No," She said, quietly, "I didn't expect both of them to come out. I let them escape. I'm sorry."

Jasper sighed, "It's okay. We both messed up on this one. I messed up and tripped over a stupid Earth pebble, and then got trampled on." Penelope laughed at that one, "Hey, I just need work on my stealth more!"

"I'm sorry, but that is a little too funny." She calmed down a hair, "But, I let them both escape, so we're even! I'm glad you're okay, though. I'm also thrilled that you accepted a lost and learned from it!" This put stars in her eyes and got her pumped up, "If this mission is successful, I'll make strawberry shortcake for dessert tomorrow!"

"What's strawberry shortcake?" Jasper asked, interested in something involving her beloved strawberries.

"You'll like it. It's basically sponge cake, strawberries, and whip cream together in a delicious sweet treat. I usually make it around strawberry season cause that's when my strawberries are perfectly ripe."

Jasper's eyes widen in surprise, "You grow strawberries? I never saw them in your garden."

"That's because mine grow in the Spring. It's Autumn now, so you won't see them till after Winter next year. Now there are Summer and Late Summer varieties, but I haven't got my hands on them yet and some grow in very specific conditions."

"So, they're like Gems!" Jasper made the connect.

Penelope pondered the similarities, "There are some slight differences, but yes, the two are the same in that respect."

She smiled over the knowledge that the two of them shared. She loved having someone to talk to about stuff like this. Jasper was pretty smart in her own respect, but Penelope loved that she absorbed information like a sponge. She hoped it will help Jasper come to understand Earth a bit better and not hate it because of what it had done to Pink Diamond.

Penelope frowned a the thought of Pink Diamond. She had never seen nor heard about the Gem before in her life, but something about her sounded familiar. She just can't seem to placed what it was. That fact seemed to bother her a lot more than she intended that she, unconsciously, laid her gloved hand on her gem. "Who are you?" She whispered to herself.

"You say something, sister?" Jasper asked, curiously.

Penelope snapped out of it, "Sorry, I spaced there a bit. Shall we keep moving? I don't think they've gotten too far ahead of us."

Jasper grinned, pounding her fist into her hand, "Let's go get them!"

They race off, following the tracks till they split off into two different directions.

"Looks like we're splitting up." Jasper muttered, glaring down at the tracks.

Penelope reached into her bag and took out a set of old walkie talkies and hand one to Jasper, "Take this, then. It's for communicating when we're apart. I set it up to where all you have to do is press this button and talk into it. Then, let go of it so I can talk. Got it?"

Jasper looked at it funny but took it none of the less. "Alright, be careful out there, sister. And don't forget to eat and stay warm! You're a fragile gem!" She turned and went in one direction. She sighed and took the other. About five minutes into the trek, she started humming to keep away the loneliness. That is until she heard something growl nearby. She summoned her gauntlets and scanned the area.

"Come on. I know you're around here somewhere." She muttered to herself, waiting. Nothing.

She lowered her guard a hair, but she still kept her gauntlets on. She started to walk slower, then began humming after a minute. As soon as she did, she heard another growl. She stopped humming and waited. Nothing again. She started to notice a pattern and began to hum again. More growling. So, it was attracted to her humming? It was the only lead she had, though. Might as well try it.

She sighed. It's been a long time since she last sung. But, if it brings the corruption out of hiding. It was a little song; one that she sang whenever she was alone. Well, at least, no one else was around. She took a deep breath and sang,

" _What can I do,_

 _To make you see,_

 _that I'm just like you, too?_

 _Is it me?_

 _Was I just not meant to be?_

 _Or it just because I'm different?_

 _All I want is to be loved_

 _So, won't you just love me for me._

 _Oh, please._

 _Just be my friend._

 _All I want,_

 _is your kind smile,_

 _Like the sun on a rainy day._

 _I will do anything for you._

 _If you do the same for me, too._

 _I will always be there for you._

 _So, please, just be my friend."_

As she sang, she heard the constant growls slowly turn into a moans of pain. She ended her song only to hear something big collapse behind her. She did a 180 and gasped at the sight. There in the snow laid a Gem in pain. She was muscular like Jasper. In fact, she would say that they were almost the same Gem when she saw her face. The only difference was that this one was different in color, but, definitely, a Jasper. She looked in she was in pain with part of her body still corrupted. She despond her gauntlets and slowly moved closer to the gem.

"Um, are you ok?" She asked, hesitantly.

The gem lifted her face up to her, "Who are you? Friend or enemy?!"

"I... I'm Penelope. I'm not going to hurt you! Are you from the war? It's been over for about 5,000 years." Penelope said, hands up in surrender.

Her face softened, "The war... Did we win?"

"I... I don't know. I haven't been around for very long." Penelope admitted, "I can see that you're a Jasper. Who are you?"

"Friends call me Biggs. I'm with the Crystal Gems." Biggs stared at her, "You don't look like any Gem that I've met."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Penelope stated, dryly. She stared at Biggs' corrupted parts in sympathy, "You sure you're okay?"

Biggs took notice of her problem and moved to sit up. She winced as she did. Then, she laughed, dryly, "Those cowardly Homeworld clods used corruption on us, huh? That was a low blow, even for them."

Penelope was shocked, "So, corruption... is a Gem disease..."

Biggs chuckled, darkly, "Yeah, that's a good way to put it. So, I wouldn't get too close if I were you."

Penelope was speechless as she started to cry. "Why... Who would do something like this?" She sobbed.

Biggs gave her a serious look, "The Diamonds. Those dirty rulers will stop at nothing to destroy us; destroy Earth."

Penelope was shocked at this revelation. "But, the War's over now and the planet's still here! So, they must have given up, right?" She asked, hopeful that that was the case.

Biggs laughed, coldly, "Sister, you may have not fought in the war and, honestly, I hope you never have to. But, the Diamonds never give up. They'll finish what they started, I promise you that. They always do."

Penelope bowed her head in sadness, "All things should not have to end in war."

Biggs smiled at her sympathetically, "It's the price we have to pay for freedom, sister. Sometimes, I wonder if it's even worth it. But, if the planet is still standing, then we must have done something right. And I'm fine with that."

"There should have been another way. You all shouldn't have to suffer from this for it."

Biggs looked startled before she burst out laughing, "You really are a strange Gem! But, I like you for it! If Rose is still around, she would love to meet you!"

Penelope stared, "Rose. I keep hearing her name, but who is she?"

Biggs stared at her with wide eyes, "You don't know who Rose is?!"

"I heard that she was the leader of the Crystal Gems, but that's all I know. But, I want to know what kind of Gem she was."

"Hm, well, I can tell you that Rose certainly was different. She told us all that we were perfect just the way we are and that we can be whatever we want to be. She's was the reason we all wanted to fight. This planet was going to be our start for that reason. We were all going to coexist here. She didn't believe in shattering Gems. She wanted a shatterless war, but Homeworld doesn't play nice. Many of our comrades were shattered." She let out a shaky laugh, "When Homeworld retreated, I kept thinking, 'we did it! We won!'. But... I should have known better. We all saw a great light and hear this song. That was... the last thing I can remember." She started to laugh hysterically now. Penelope was shocked by her predicament that she noticed that the corruption was coming back.

"Biggs, please! Calm down! You'll get corrupted again!" She plead to the large Gem.

She kept laughing, "It's too late for me, sister! I'm already gone! But, I thank you for this. Please, one last favour? Bubble me while I'm still myself. That's all I ask."

Penelope cried a little as she stood and summoned her gauntlet, "Biggs, I'm glad that we met. I swear on my gem that if I find a way to cure this, you'll be one of the first."

Biggs grinned, "Don't make promises you can't keep, sister."

"Then, don't give up so easily. I thought Jaspers never give up." She retorted, still crying as she readied her strike.

Biggs laughed, "You're right, maybe I shouldn't. Thanks, Penelope."

"No, thank you, Biggs." She hit her and poofed Biggs. Penelope sighed as she desponded her gauntlet. She bended down to pick up the orange gem left behind. She bubbled it.

"Till we meet again, Biggs." she told the bubbled, then sent it home before calling Jasper.

"Auntie? Come in, Auntie. It's me, Pinky. Do you read me? I caught the monster. Over."

* * *

So, what are your thoughts on this? I would love to hear them.

According to Bismuth, there was a Biggs Jasper in the Crystal Gems. And one of the monsters from Gem Hunt does resemble Biggs (I checked this.). So, it might actually be the same Biggs that Bismuth mentioned. But, I turned her into an OC for this purpose.

Laters,

Ellis Alpha


	9. Part 9

Hey, guys. Ellis here.

Sorry, it took so long. I had a writer's block and basically, planned out future events for this story but not this part. I just had a surge today, so thank goodness for college! Why do I get my creative surges at college? I don't know, but I'll roll with it.

In other news, I went to a con this past weekend and met some awesome SU cosplayers. I went to an 18+ SU discussion panel by a group called Pendragon. If you have a chance and have the patience (and tolerance), I recommend going to it cause those guys brought up some interesting topics underlined in the series.

Without further ado, Part 9!

* * *

Penelope raced around the entire area with her gauntlets on. Jasper wasn't answering her radio and she was worried. What could have happened? Was she injured again? Was she dead? Did she really not know how to work the radio or was she in a compromise situation where she needed silence? She didn't know, she just wanted to find Jasper.

She stopped running and panted. She had stamina, but it would take forever to search the whole Great North. She needed to get to someplace high to scout the area. She found a fairly large rock and quickly scaled it. Even on top of it, though, she could barely see above the trees. She fumed and jumped, trying to see over the trees. What she didn't expect was to jump really high till she nearly reached the clouds. She didn't stay up there for long as she felt herself fall when she couldn't go any higher. She panicked and wished that she had something to slow her fall. She saw a glowing pink platform formed underneath her and landed on it. Her eyes sparkled as she discovered her newfound power. She grinned, with her jumping and making platforms, she can find Jasper much easier now.

With no time to lose, she starting off with some smaller jumps to get the hang of it. After a while, she started making bigger jumps as she scanned the area. Within a minute, she found Jasper fighting the other Corruption and… a boy in pink bubble? She frowned and hopped down just in time for Jasper to poof the Corruption.

Normally, she go to Jasper, but they weren't alone. So, she hung back a bit to watch the interaction as another gem appeared. She was beautifully slender with porcelain skin and a pretty round gem on her forehead. She carried a spear that she pointed at Jasper after she recognized her. She looked scared that Jasper was here. She wondered why, but kept watching. Now that she had a closer look, she realized that there were two people in the pink bubble; a boy and a girl. The girl was carrying a huge pink sword, so she was fighter, for sure. The boy just looked like a tag-a-long.

She didn't think much of it until she heard Jasper chuckled, "Hey, Rose. Look what I got!" She held up the gem she caught.

Penelope just stared wide eyed at the two in the bubble as the boy took a picture. Was the girl this Rose person? She did have the sword. She shook her head. She can't leave her alone with them, she might get hurt!

"Jasper!" She yelled out from her hiding spot, "I got the other Corruption! Let's go! Where are you?"

Everyone seemed shocked that Jasper had someone else with her. She didn't care, though, she just wanted to go home. Jasper turned back to them and simply grinned as she began to walk away from them. Penelope let out a sigh of relief and rushed through the trees quietly so Jasper thought she was still looking for her. She found a good spot and popped out a few feet in front of Jasper, pretended to look for her, and ran towards her after "finding" her.

"You're okay!" She yelled, hugging her.

"Like I said, nothing that I can't handle. Though, you were pretty crafty yourself, Pinky." She smiled, smugly.

"Ah! I've been caught!" She stuck out her tongue, "But, seriously, that was a close one!"

Jasper chuckled, "I'm sure. So, did you really get the other one or was that just a ploy?"

"I did get it. I bubbled it and sent it to the house, so it's with the others." she looked at the one in jasper's hand, "You want me to bubble that, too?"

She shrugged and handed it to her, "Knock yourself out."

Penelope took it, bubble it, and send it off. She looked back at Jasper observing the action with mild interest, "What?"

She shook her head, "I don't how you do that."

She shrugged, "I just picture a bubble around it then think of home as I send it off. Nothing special, really."

Jasper merely shrugged, "Whatever. Let's go home. You can't stay out in this weather for much longer."

She stared at Jasper as she started walking. She felt herself smile when Jasper said "home". She had only been around for nearly a month and she was already calling Earth home. Huge progress!

"Hey! Hurry up or you'll freeze your gem off!" Jasper yelled at her, impatiently.

"Coming, Auntie!" She called, running after her towards the warp pad. Only to stop short in front of it as she saw it. Her eyes widen when she thought about getting back on it again and she gulped. She really, truly hated that thing.

"Come on! You know it won't kill you!" Jasper said, picking her up by the waist this time and walked onto the warp pad. Penelope squealed in fear as the light beamed them home.

After that, she swore to never to set foot on that thing again. She didn't care what Jasper said. She rather walk than go on that thing. She took a warm shower and proceeded to watch more Camp Pining Hearts with Jasper.

The next morning, it seems like Jasper let her sleep in some. She got dressed and went out to the garden to find Jasper near the strawberry patch. She smiled, "So, you did find the strawberries."

Jasper blushed, "W-well, you said that you had them. I just wanted to know the location for next year's harvest!"

She giggled, "Then, if you help me pick them next year for the market, I'll give you a bucket and that will be your share. Deal?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I always keep my word. It's more of a curse than a blessing, though."

Jasper stood, "Why's that?"

Penelope gave her a sober look, "I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of till I came here. At one point, I was asked to break my word to a child. I didn't. They tried to get someone else to do it. But, I still didn't break my word…"

"What was it you promised the child?" Jasper asked, curiously.

"That no harm will ever come to them as long as I live. No matter the cost." She looked down at her hands, "My cost that day was my humanity. I became a monster to kill other monsters… It doesn't really take much to become one, you know. I'm not proud of it, but I don't regret saving that child…"

She looked up at Jasper with sorrow eyes, "Can you promise me that you won't be a monster?"

Jasper looked confused, "Why? I've already done things that make me a monster. I've shattered other Gems, fought in a war, and forced another Gem into a Fusion! You saw how the rebels looked at me! How am I not one?!"

"You've changed, Jasper."

Jasper became flabbergasted and Penelope explained, "Yes, you have done all those things and they're not pretty things. But, you're, at least, admitting that what you did was wrong. That's the first step to bettering yourself! But, you've done things that have also been non-destructive as well! You acknowledged me without demanding to see my gem, you constantly tell me to eat, sleep, and kept checking on me to make sure I was okay. You, even, help me with my garden and go to town with me! You're making an effort to even try new things like stealth! You're actually a really good Gem! You're not just another Jasper among hundreds of others back on Homeworld, you're Jasper; Auntie Jasper! And I love **you** , not this "Perfect Quartz" that everybody makes you out to be cause nobody's perfect! And you don't need to be…"

"But, the Diamonds—"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE DIAMONDS OR WHAT THEY THINK! THEY'RE **CLODS!** " Penelope yelled out of sheer angry, loud enough that Jasper was sure everyone within a 10-mile radius could hear if she hadn't dropped her jaw at the Diamonds being called clods.

* * *

About five miles away, Peridot perked up from watching Camp Pining Hearts with Lapis.

"I just heard someone yell Clods." she said, her eyes widen as she scanned the area for the sound.

"You're probably just imagining it." Lapis stated, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Perhaps… I mean, it's not like we have anybody live near us, right?" Peridot shrugged and carried on with her show.

* * *

Jasper was still deeply shocked that the little pink Gem could actually get like this. But, she understood her words and their meaning as Penelope was panting from the outbursts. Still, she couldn't get over it.

"You called them Clods…"

"And what about it!?" She snapped, "The Diamonds this, the Diamonds that! I don't care! The Diamonds shouldn't dictate what you can or can not be! Pink Diamond may have been an exception, but the others have no right with the damage they've done!"

"What are you talking about? What damage?" Jasper was confused now.

"What is Corruption?" She asked with gritted teeth. Her eyes burned into Jasper's, making the bigger Gem a little uncomfortable.

"I… I don't know… All I know is that they used to be Gems, like us. I think the two we handled are both Quartz soldiers. But, that's all I know." Jasper admitted, hands raised.

Penelope searched her eyes for any lies but found none within Jasper's. She released the breath that she hasn't realized that she have been holding.

"You really didn't know about the Diamonds' plan, didn't you?"

"The Diamonds' plan?"

She really didn't know anything. Penelope sighed, "You were right about one of the Corruptions being a Quartz… She was actually a Jasper like you. Her name is Biggs. She was from the war. I was hunting her corrupted form and found that she was attracted to my singing. So, I sang a song to lure her out and…" she paused, "She nearly reverted back to her original form when I saw her."

"What?" Jasper exclaimed, "Y-you— She reverted?! How?"

"I don't know! But, she did! She told me that corruption was like a gem disease of some kind and that it was the Diamonds' doing!"

"And you bubbled her?"

"She was still partially Corrupted! She started reverted back to her corrupted form when she mentioned a song and a bright light at the end of the war! She… she asked me to bubble her while she was still herself… I also gave her my word that I would find a way to reverse it. I intended to keep it!" She stared at Jasper, "If it happened once, maybe I can reverse it completely!"

Jasper stared at her, skeptically, "And you expect me to believe you?"

She sighed, "No… I don't expect you to believe me without proof… But, would it hurt to try, anyway? To see if it's even possible to reverse it?"

Jasper continued to stare at her before sighing, "Fine. We'll give it a try. But, you need to eat first and form a plan. I'm not just going to set a corruption on you without a solid plan of action!"

Penelope smiled, "Right! After breakfast, then!"

They started to head back to the house when she remembered something.

"By the way, what happened to the walkie talkie I gave you? I tried calling you on it, but you never respond!"

Jasper cringed, "Oh, right…" She reached to her nose and pulled out a very smashed walkie talkie… If it could even be called that…

"It busted when I fought the other one… I thought you wouldn't notice…"

Penelope eyed the broken device, uneasily, "Well… I guess it worked out anyway. Right?"

* * *

So, your thoughts?

Sadly, this story will end in a few more parts. But, it's not over yet ;)

Laters,

Ellis Alpha


	10. Part 10

Hey, guys. Ellis here.

So, I actually had some trouble with this chapter. So, I actually went ahead and wrote Part 11. Yeah, I know it's crazy, but you guys get two Parts in one sitting. That normally doesn't happen.

So here's Part 10 first.

* * *

Around two, Penelope walked towards the ruins with Jasper, the two bubbled corruptions they caught, and a plan. She figured it would be the best place to test her theory since it was relatively remote and away from everything else. They reached the ruins with no problems and she turned to Jasper.

"Okay, so the idea would be to keep it contained here. Since the song Biggs mentioned seemed to be the trigger for her corruption, my only theory is that a song can reverse it. However, it's possible that a song from a mere Gem alone can not fully heal corruption as my experience demonstrated. So, we're merely going to test if a song is the key. I brought Biggs, that one that was reverting, and her companion for a repeated test of consistency. You got all of that?"

Jasper groaned, "Yeah, I get it. Just keep them here and don't let them escape. Geez, you're almost as bad as a Peridot!"

"What do Peridots normally do on Homeworld?"

"They're low-class technicians that think they're smarter than you. Their rants are so annoying. I had to work with an Era two Peridot while coming here. SHE WOULD NOT SHUT UP! I wanted to poof her the entire trip!"

"Wait. You came here with another Gem? Shouldn't you be concerned about her? Do you even know where she is!?" Penelope asked, incredulously.

"Oh, she'll be fine. She's very good at running..." Jasper chuckled, darkly.

Penelope stared, "I suddenly feel very concerned about that poor Peridot..."

"Whatever. Let's get this over with." She yawned and phased into her uniform. Her hair was still in a ponytail which showed off her pretty feminine features as well as her masculine jawline.

"You know, you look pretty with your hair up like that. You probably had a bunch of admirers back on Homeworld." Penelope commented, making Jasper blush.

"Please, like anyone would want to be with me!"

"Don't sell yourself short! Besides, I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Then, why does no one want to fuse with me?!"

"As in fusion? Why can't I fuse with you?"

Jasper blushed bright orange, "Y-y-you're too young! You don't need to fuse yet! I need someone that can handle my power!"

"So, I just need to be strong enough to be a worthy match?"

"I-I-I..." She stuttered, then sighed, "You know what, sure. You prove that you can be a good match to fuse, we'll talk. Got it? Now can we please just get this thing over with?!"

Penelope grinned, "I'm holding you to that!"

She grabbed the other corruption's bubble she nicknamed Crazy cause she can't keep calling these poor Gems monsters. She brought to the middle of the ruins and took a deep breath. This was it.

"Ready?"

"Hit it!"

She popped the bubble and ran back to Jasper before it could fully reform. It completely reformed the minute turned around. She started to sing vocals first, see if that did anything. It let out a series of growls and began to shake it head like the song was bothering it. She smiled while still singing; it was working! She began to shift to words next, but Crazy had gotten ahold of herself and began to charge at her. She gasped as Jasper pulled her out of the way. She watched as Crazy crashed into Biggs' bubble and popped it.

"No!" she cried, as she watched Biggs reformed.

She watched as it when humanoid at first, but it screamed, fizzed out, and began to reform back into her corrupted state. She cried when Biggs roared and the two ran off towards the cliffs.

"What the—" she turned to find Jasper staring wide-eyed at where Biggs was.

"Jasper, please. We have to stop them! They're might head toward the city if we don't!" She begged, "Come on!"

Jasper shook her head and turned serious. "Not if I can help it, but you're staying here!"

"But—" She protested.

"No buts! I know you can handle it, but I need you to stay here in case they loop back. Got it? Just don't argue with me right now!" she shouted, sternly.

"…Okay…" She muttered, felt rejected.

Jasper sighed, "I'll let help me something later, okay? Just guard the house!"

She didn't stay long to let Penelope answer, but she understood the situation. There really wasn't any time to argue about it. The corruption pair could be in Beach City already as they speak. It wouldn't hurt to at least search for them on higher ground, just in case. Jasper still didn't know about her new abilities, anyway. So, as long as she made it back before Jasper, it should be okay.

She shook her head. She promised Jasper that she would stay and guard the area. They had just began to trust each other, she wouldn't risk breaking that! Penelope sighed and hopped back to the house with a plan. She'll stay at the house and go on patrol every hour till Jasper came back.

She started to prep for dinner for the first hour. She patrolled the area, humming cause Biggs was attracted to her singing. But, found nothing and headed back to continue cooking and cleaning. It continued till later that night. She had just got done with her patrol five minutes ago and was sitting on the front porch, waiting. She heard rustling in the garden and phased her Gauntlets in a battle-ready stance.

"Whoa, sister! It's just me!" Jasper hollered, coming up towards the house.

"Auntie!" she cried out and ran towards the buff Gem after dispensing her gauntlets.

"Sorry, it took me so long. I got caught up by those rebels from our last hunt." She sneered at that last part.

"That's okay! Did you get Biggs and Crazy back?" she asked, hopefully.

She looked mad and held out her hand with Crazy's Gem, "The Rebels got a hold of the other one."

Penelope looked disappointed that it wasn't Biggs, but she knew there was nothing she could've done. She gave Jasper a sad smile, "It's okay. One's better than none. Come here, Crazy."

She took the Gem, bubbled it, and brought it into the house so it can float up to the others. She sighed and sat on the couch with Jasper, who was in regular clothes again. They both sat in silence for a moment. Penelope became aware of Jasper's annoyance with the rebel Gems.

"You want to talk about it?" She asked, curiously.

"Fusion." Jasper muttered as she got up and began to pace, "Fusion. Fusion. Always Fusion! They always beat me with Fusion and it's an outrage! A cheap tactic to make weaker Gems stronger! I just hate that I keep getting beat up by Fusions!"

She looked like she wanted to punch something now, but was restraining herself. Penelope was impressed by Jasper's control. She sighed now, her control wouldn't last much longer if she continued to dwell on the issue.

"Breathe, Auntie. You'll break something again if you don't." She chasted the brute Gem.

"I know" she sighed, heavily. She could tell that she was still frustrated, though.

"Is it because you believe that no one still wants to fuse with you? Do you feel jealous of them?"

Jasper remained silent, but she felt the anger drained from her as she slowly sat back down on the couch. She was right. She leaned over to hug the big Gem.

"You know, it's okay. Even if no one else wants to, I'm still here. I know you're not a bad Gem. You're quick-tempered and stubborn, but that's okay, too. I still like you just the way you are, Auntie. Nothing will change that for me." She smiled.

A moment later, she felt Jasper give her a one-armed hug back. They stayed like that for a while, before Jasper pulled back.

She chuckled, "You really are something, sister."

Penelope shrugged, "I been through a lot. So, I try to help others when I can, cause I don't want them to feel the same as I did."

"Is that right?" she smirked, then stared at the bubbled gems above them, "You weren't lying about her revert back, were you?"

"No, I didn't. What you saw was her before corruption took back over." she sighed and stared at the bubbles, too.

"I see. Then, we need a new place to hold them if we're going to continue with this experimenting of yours. It's too risky to let them out in the opening like that after what happened today."

"Yeah, you're right. Got anything in mind?"

Jasper sighed, "Yeah, I think I got a place. I'll scout it out tomorrow and we'll move the Corruptions after that."

* * *

So, what do you think? Please give a decent review.

Laters,

Ellis Alpha


	11. Part 11

Hey, Guys. Ellis again.

So, this is part 11.

* * *

Penelope hopped in the air towards Beach City a couple of days later. She found that it was a lot faster than walking and she can scan the whole city for Amethyst this way. The perks of being a Gem hybrid, she supposed.

She started to search the city for the small purple Gem as she near the area. She pouted when she didn't spot the Gem anywhere in sight. She almost went down to search when she heard a loud boom and glanced around till she spotted a huge multi-armed statue with gem placements on it, a house laid at the foot of it. She face-palmed, "Duh, Penelope. Of course, Gems like her would live near giant Gem statues! They've been here for about 5,000 years! Why wouldn't they?!"

She continued muttering to herself as she headed towards the statue. The closer she got the more she noticed that there were 5 Gems sparring with each other. She smiled when she noticed Amethyst, but frowned when she saw that the white Gem from the great North was there as well. She also spotted the tag-a-long boy watching from a safe distance. She narrowed her eyes at him, thinking he wouldn't last long in the real world. He was a dreamer to her; one that thinks that the world is safe and secure. She'll laugh when he gets older and realizes that he's not ready for anything. 'He doesn't know anything.' She thought, glaring at him from above.

She caught Amethyst out of the corner of her eyes catching a rainbow haired Gem off guard and smiled. Go, Amethyst! She silently cheered. She didn't want to interrupt the fight until it was over. After the rainbow Gem smashed a huge boulder, smirking as it made dreamer boy uneasy, she decided to hop down on top of Amethyst.

"Amethyst!~" She called out as she landed in the arms of the now wide-eyed purple Gem, giggling, "That was a good move there!"

"Where-? What were you doing falling from the sky?" She asked, looking up at the sky, hoping for an answer.

"It's a long story."

"I can see that. Tell me about it later. What's up?" She said, setting her down.

"I came to-"

"Hey, deep cut, who's your friend?" Asked the rainbow Gem.

Amethyst grinned, "We can talk in a bit. Let me introduce you to everybody first. That cool?"

As much as she really wanted to talk to Amethyst, it wouldn't hurt to get to know about the rest of them. They might have the answers she's been looking for. She smiled, "Okay! I'm Penelope. Penelope Pink. Nice to meet you!"

"Pleasure to meet you, Penelope. Call me Bismuth." Said the rainbow Gem.

"You're hair..." started the white Gem, staring at her.

"Is pink! I know! Yes, that's my natural color and, yes, I have a gem. No, I won't show you, so don't even ask!" Penelope snapped at her, annoyed with the whole thing about her hair color.

It was starting to become a pet peeve with her, but it did shut the white Gem up to where Amethyst laughed, "Man, Penelope, you shut her up good! I knew I liked you for a reason!"

"You have a feisty little friend there, Amethyst. I like her." Bismuth commented.

"You hate when people mention your hair, don't you?" Asked a tall Gem with shades.

"You have no idea."

"Oh, I do. Garnet." She said, holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you." She took the hand, then noticed she had two gems, everyone she met only had one...

"You're a fusion, aren't you?"

Garnet smiled, "You're quite observant for your age."

Penelope shrugged, "Old habit, really."

"You're a Gem hybrid?! Me, too!" The boy shouted in excitement, startling her.

She blinked, "You're the Gem hybrid Amethyst mentioned?"

"Yeah, I'm Steven! It's nice to meet you, Penelope!" He had stars in his eyes, "Oh, and that's Pearl, by the way." He pointed to the white Gem.

"Sure... Okay..." She wasn't too excited about the boy being the hybrid, but whatever.

"So, Pinky. Got a weapon to show me?" Bismuth asked, grinning.

"You mean these?" Penelope asked, phasing her pink gauntlets, which seem make Garnet's day.

Bismuth whistled, "Whoa, did not expect such a small Gem like you to pack a punch. Care to demonstrate?" She pointed to a medium-sized rock.

She shrugged, "Okay. Throw it at me."

All the other Gems plus Steven simply stared at her. Well, she really couldn't tell with Garnet. She was a tough one to read. It was quite funny watching them react like this. Penelope looked at them funny, though. It wasn't like she was asking them to kill her. Jasper treated her more with respect than these guys treating her like a child. She'll just prove them wrong. Steven was the first to speak.

"Wouldn't it be better just to go smash it?"

"Nah, that's too easy. Besides, I'm used to moving targets. Auntie did not train me to be a tag-a-long on our hunts." She directed that statement at Steven, hoping he got the message.

Steven flinched, "Hunts?"

She nodded, "We hunt corruptions. We don't kill or anything like that. Just bubble them to keep them from causing trouble."

Steven looked relieved, "Oh. That's what we do, too."

"I know. I saw you on one of my hunts. You don't do much."

"I do, too!" He argued.

"Really? Then, how many have you personally caught?"

He looked shocked, "I-" He fell silent.

Her eyes narrowed, "19 corruptions. Alone. With absolutely no help. Since I was 12. And I've been fighting a lot longer than that. You are just a tag-a-long!"

Steven got mad, "Yeah? And what of it?! At least, I'm learning and have people to help me unlike you!"

"And what do you know about me!?"

"Apparently, that your parents made a mistake when they left you with your Aunt!"

"STEVEN!" Amethyst yelled at him, "That's enough!"

It didn't matter, though. She lost her spark when he mentioned them. She wondered how she looked to them but didn't really care. She felt broken. Distant. She felt weak, yet her legs moved on her own accord. Amethyst was talking to her, but she couldn't hear a sound.

She blinked, white walls and the smell of anesthesia surrounded her. She knew this place; this horrible nightmare. Panicked, she ran down its halls, trying to find the exit. She wanted to get out. She heard shouting, but can't identify the source. She didn't care, she kept running. She hit a wall and turned left to keep going. She can't stop, they'll hurt her again. She felt someone grab her. She fought and struggled. No, not again! No more! She cried and managed to punch them into letting her go. She took off again, but something grabbed her arm pulling her back. More voices, she looked at her arm and gasped at the disfigured pink and white arm that held her. She struggled as the figure slowly revealed itself.

"No! I won't go back! I don't ever want to go back! I'm not you!" She cried as she continued to struggle.

She stopped when she saw the face. Her eyes widened in horror. She saw her disfigured face grinned at her.

"I'm... still... here..." it said in a warped voice; her voice.

She heard someone screaming. Then, felt someone slap her, hard. She blinked, staring down at the sand. She slowly looked up at Amethyst, who gave her a worried look.

"Amethyst...? What...?" She spoke, winching as her throat ached.

She was the one screaming. She looked down at her arm, a black whip with purple stones wrapped around it. She spotted the other Gems with concerned looks. Garnet adjusted her shades, rubbing her cheek. She felt something cool at her feet. Water from the ocean's edge.

She knew exactly what happened.

"Sorry..." She bowed her head in shame.

She was surprised when Amethyst hugged her tight. "You scared me! I didn't know what was going on! I- We thought you were gone. What happened, Penelope?" She asked, concerned.

"Not here. Not with them. Especially, not with him!" She plead to Amethyst.

The purple Gem looked back at her comrades, nodded to them that it was okay, then looked back at her. "Yeah, okay. I got ya. Let's go to my room, okay?"

She nodded and allowed Amethyst to take her to the house. She must have spaced out, cause she heard Amethyst mention a mess. However, it was a huge mess from her standpoint. She didn't care, though, she sat on top of a dryer and Amethyst joined her.

"So, what happened? And don't worry, no one will bother us here." She assured her. She took some comfort in that.

"I... Remember how I told you that I was a lab rat? When he mentioned them, my parents, I found myself back there again. Like a waking nightmare, except... It looked real. The white walls, the smell, even the sounds! I was back. And she was waiting for me."

"Who was?"

She stared at her feet and sighed. "My monster... My corruption..."

Amethyst looked shocked, "But, Gem hybrids... I don't know if you can even get corrupted!"

"Doesn't mean it's not possible." She spoke dryly, hopping off the dryer.

Amethyst sighed, "Yeah, I know. So, what? You were stuck in your own nightmare? Does it happened often?"

Penelope shook her head, "Not recently. The last one happened a year ago when I was fighting a corruption. I got hurt pretty bad because of it."

"Yikes! That sounds like horrible! Were you alright?"

"Yeah, my leg was bad. But, I managed. Still, have the scar from it."

"Cool. But, seriously, Penelope. You hit Garnet pretty hard. She would've creamed you if I hadn't stopped her; stopped them, really. Everyone considered you a threat, except me."

"Yeah, I'll apologize to her before I leave. She's cool."

"Yeah, she is!" Amethyst laughed, "...I told them about your folks... Steven wants to apologize."

She stared back down at her feet. "I won't forgive him for that. I'll accept his apology, but I still won't forgive him."

"Hey, it's understandable. I can relate to you in a sense. I was alone in the Kindergarten for a long time. I thought no one wanted me till Rose showed up. She told I was perfect just the way I was. Was it like that for you with your Auntie Gem?"

Penelope shook her head and laughed, "I thought she was another corruption and poofed her when we met."

Amethyst laughed her butt off, "Oh, geeze! Really? That's priceless!"

"Yeah. Then, I talked to her the next day, we got into a fight, and she left. A week later, she showed up in the rain and she watched T.V. with me. A few days later, she told me that I was different than the other Gems she met... but, she still accepts me. That's all I really want, is for someone to accept me for me. She's the first one to do that. And I'm happy for that."

"Yeah? Well, now you have me, too!"

She grinned, revealing her missing tooth from training yesterday. "That is also true. Except your my best friend!"

"Yeah. Hey, what happened to your tooth?" She asked, curiously.

"Training. There's actually something that I wanted to ask you about, though..." She began and told Amethyst a brief recollection of everything that happened up with her experiment the other day plus the event of her recent hunt. She didn't mention where she was or who she saw, but she did mentioned Biggs and her conversation with her.

"So, you found a corruption that actually almost reverted back to her full form? That's crazy! But, if what this Biggs gem says is true. We might actually have a lead on our corruption cure! You really think that a song is the key?" She asked.

"That's the only thing that I was doing when she reverted. It's like the song brought her back to her senses somehow! And when she mentioned a song she heard at the end of the war, she relapsed." Penelope explained.

"Come to think of it, Steven semi-healed a corruption he called Centipeetle. She relapsed when she mentioned a song, too! Maybe, this song is the key to it all! We have to tell the others!" Amethyst exclaimed.

* * *

Yeah, I went there. Who was in the wrong? Please, review.

Later,

Ellis Alpha


	12. Part 12

**Hey, guys. Ellis here.**

 **Have things been getting interesting for you all?**

 **Part 12, ladies, gents, and those in between!**

* * *

They both raced outside Amethyst's room to find everyone else gathered around what appears to be the living room. The other gems looked up when they saw them. Penelope went up to Garnet first.

"Sorry about hitting you. I wasn't really… all that there…" She apologized.

"It's okay. I understand." She smiled, adjusting her shades.

"I'm glad. You're a pretty cool Gem." She commented, making Garnet blush.

"Oh, stop!"

"I'm serious! I never met another Gem that can use fist-type weapons like I can! Can you teach me some tips next time?"

"I think I can manage to teach you a thing or two sometime." She grinned.

"Cool."

Bismuth laughed, "Glad to see that you're back to normal, Pinky. You had us nervous there for a bit."

"Yeah…" She drew out, nervously.

Steven came up to her now and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes?" She prompted.

"I just want to apologize for what I said about your parents… and your Aunt… I didn't know that you were…" He paused.

"Abandoned. Yeah, looks can be deceiving, after all." She spoke, dryly, "I'll accept your apology. However, I'll never forgive you for what you said."

"Right… How about we start over? I'm Steven Universe. Gem hybrid and member of the Crystal Gems. My weapon is a shield. My mom is Rose Quartz."

Her eyes widened. His mom was the Rose that Jasper was talking about? That means she's... She closed her eyes. She might have to have a talk with Jasper later.

"Penelope Pink. I'm also a Gem hybrid, but I was abandoned so I have no idea who my parents are. My weapon is my gauntlets. I grew up in Empire City as a lab rat at first, then escaped and got adopted into the mafia up until two years ago. Now I live just outside of Beach City, with a garden and my Aunt, hunting the occasional corruption. I can also play a mean accordion." She said that last part proudly.

"Hold up! You were in the mafia?! When was this?"

"Let's see... I was eight when it happened so... Four years I was with them."

"Couldn't you have gone to the police?"

"And go back to being slapped on the operating table, where the scientists can finish what they started? Over my dead body! Those idiots wanted to remove my Gem to make me into a 'normal human being'. Uh, NO! I'll live, thank you!" She snapped.

Steven looked shocked as did the rest of the Gems. She frowned not wanting their sympathy. Bismuth was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry, but that's really messed up." She said.

"You're telling me." She said, dryly.

"While I agree that you have made the right decision in your situation, joining an organized crime group would not be my first choice of options…" Pearl stated, gently.

"Well, there aren't too many options when you're an eight-year-old runaway in Empire City. Either you become a street rat that ends up in human-trafficking or join a gang where you can at least get protection from the cops who are bribed by said gang. Either way, you learn to grow up, grow a backbone, and to what you can to survive." She explained, "Keep in mind that I was also abandoned and had no one, not even other Gems, to help me at the time. I pretty much had no other choice."

"Well… what was it like? The Mafia?" Steven asked, curiously.

"Lots of drinking, drugs, violence, and hookers all with its members in fancy, expensive suits. Trust me, it's nothing special. I didn't really enjoy it." She responded, nonchalantly shrugging.

"Then, how did you get adopted?"

"Long story short, I tried to pickpocket their Boss. It was... interesting."

"Oh... What's a hooker?" Steven asked, innocently.

Penelope just stared at him for a good long moment. She glanced at the other Gems to find Pearl in horrified suspense. She flashed an evil grin at her, which made her worry more before she turned back to Steven.

"Yeah, come back to me on that when you're older. You're still just a little boy." She gave him a teasing smile.

"Hey! No fair! I'm fourteen!" he argued.

"So, am I. But, I have seen some stuff that no normal child should ever have to find out at my age. I'm merely sparing you the details of said stuff until you're older." She simply stated, which made Pearl sigh in relief, "In any case, I have something to ask of all of you."

"Oh? We'll be happy to help any way we can. Ask away!" Pearl said with a delightful cheer in comparison to how she was a second ago. Penelope, silently, nicknamed her 'Mama Bird'. It brought a smile to her face.

"Obviously, you all capture for corrupted Gems and, according to Amethyst, have managed to semi-heal one before it got corrupted again. My question is what else can you tell me about corruptions?" She asked, hoping for a lead.

"Not much, I'm afraid. Corruptions were once Gems like us. Both Rose, as well as Steven here, have attempted to reverse the effects, but had very little success." Pearl explained, disappointed.

"We can, possibly, heal the physical damage with Steven's healing powers, but we believe that most of the damage is in the mind, not the Gem," Garnet added.

"That actually makes more sense…" Penelope commented, thinking about her own dealings with Biggs.

"If I may, what got you so interested in Corruptions?" Pearl asked.

"Well… you see…" She began and gave them the same story she gave Amethyst. Most of them were shocked when she mentioned Biggs, especially Bismuth.

"You found Biggs?! Where is she? Is she okay?" Bismuth rattled off the questions, startling Penelope a hair.

"Yeah, like I said, I was hunting her corrupted form when it happened. She didn't look too good, though. That might be the corruptions' doing. As for where she is… I don't know. Auntie and I were trying to recreate the process with another corruption, but it went berserk and set Biggs free! Auntie was chasing them and she lost Biggs! She was still herself when I bubbled her, but now she's corrupted again… I'm sorry…" She apologized, feeling guilty for letting it happen.

Bismuth sighed, "Hey, hey! It's okay! It wasn't your fault! I was… I've been gone for so long that I'm a little uneasy right now. I thought she was shattered earlier. So, thank you."

"For what?" she asked, looking up at the big Gem.

"For giving me some hope. Yeah, she's corrupted and everything, but she's still out there and she's alive. That's gives me hope for not just her but my other comrades as well. And you're trying to help heal them! So, thanks, Pinky. Tell you what. I'll make something specifically for you if you succeed."

Her eyes began to sparkle, brightly, "Really?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm pretty good at making things. It'll be a pleasure to do 'bismuth' with you." she grinned.

Penelope laughed, "That's a good one!"

Amethyst whispered in her ear, "That's the third time she's made that joke today."

"Well, it's the first time I heard a good joke in… Actually, this **is** my first good laugh at a joke…" She replied, smiling sheepishly as Amethyst stared at her in astonishment.

"…Challenge accepted." Amethyst said, grinning.

"I wish you great luck, my friend. It's hard to get me to laugh at jokes."

"You will be after I'm done with you!"

"That's what she said," Penelope smirked as everyone else stared at her in shock. Except for Steven, who was too young to get the joke. Pearl fainted.

"Dang, Pinky, got any soap for that mouth." Bismuth retorted.

"I did, but there was none left when I was done using it. Besides, I warned you in advance that I knew too much." Penelope pointed out.

"I saw it coming," Garnet commented.

"I don't get it. Is Pearl going to be okay?" Steven asked, confused.

"She'll be fine. She's just in shock." Garnet assured.

"You'll get it, eventually." Penelope promised, "Back to the topic of corruption, though. Any thoughts?"

They all thought about it for a minute, before Garnet spoke.

"If the song is the key to the cure, it has to be a pretty specific song to work. I think that you were singing was pretty close to what that song was, but it sounds to me that one you were singing was incomplete, in a sense. Perhaps, if you completed the song it just might work." Garnet suggested.

"It was just something I made up to keep me from feeling lonely at the time. It wasn't supposed to be a real song." She explained, flashes of the past rushed back to her, "It wasn't meant to be completed…"

"That incomplete song nearly cured Biggs!" Bismuth reminded her.

"I know! I just… I don't think I can complete it." She admitted.

"What do mean you can't finish it?" Bismuth asked, confused.

"I've been alone for so long! I just recently met you gems! Just the other day, I was just told that I was a Gem hybrid and not some abnormal kid with a pink rock attached to her body. I..." She choked, "I don't even know who I am, anymore!"

"That's ridiculous!" Bismuth yelled, "Who are you?"

"Penelope Pink." She answered without hesitation.

"Then, that's who are. No one else can tell you what can and can not be! You got to make your own self, sister! And honestly, you're fine just the way you are." She spoke softly now, "You'll be just fine. You got this!" She winked.

Her eyes twinkled brightly up her, "That's my line."

Bismuth laughed, "I like you!"

"Same." She grinned, "Thanks."

"Hey, us Crystal Gems have to stick together, am I right?"

She merely laughed. After awhile, she headed back home, surprising Steven and the Gems with her newfound abilities. These pass couple of weeks were the most she ever enjoyed herself. Heck, she had more fun with aliens than she did with humans and that was saying something. She wished these days would last forever.

If only things were that simple.

* * *

I love how Bismuth was the only one that told Steven to just be himself. I wanted to incorporate that with Penelope by having Bismuth throwing Penelope's words back at her.

Please share your thoughts with me, before the end comes.

Later,

Ellis Alpha


	13. Final Act

**Hey, everyone. Ellis here.**

 **Well, I did it. I finished a story. The very first one. I feel accomplished for once. This is the most epic moment in my entire existence.**

 **I'll admit: it was hard. I had multiple endings to choose from. But, this is the result and it deserves respect.**

 **Readers of Fanfiction, I give you Final Act.**

* * *

The next few days, Penelope tried to finish the song while moving a bunch of corrupted Gems to Beta. Jasper did some hunting to get more participants for a more contained experiment. She didn't like putting them in cages, but it was a precaution for the experiment. Jasper promised they'll let them out when they're more stable. She agreed.

However, they were still missing the song; her song. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't finish it. She sighed as Jasper came in holding a familiar-looking box.

"What is this?" Jasper asked, seriously.

"Oh. I almost forgot about it." She spoke softly, walking over to take the box from her. It was a wooden box with a carving of a raven holding a pink stone in its claw. She smiled, sadly, "One of the scientists gave it to me. She said that I was found with it and thought that I should have it. It's a puzzle box. You solve the puzzle to open the box. I was never able to open it at first.."

She started to work the mechanics of the box, moving the pieces till a soft click can be heard and she opened the box. Inside was an unopened letter with her name on it and a strange crystal with different colored sides of yellow, white, blue, and pink. Jasper's eyes widened at it.

"Is that a diamond communication device?! How did you get one of those?" She asked, incredulously.

"Is that what it is?" She asked, looking over it, "It's been in here forever. So, were the keys and deed to this place. I think it might have belonged to my dad."

She was saddened by the thought. She won't admit it, but she always thought that if she came and stayed here, she'll meet her parents. It was a foolish thought, yet here she was. She knew her mom was gone now, so where was her dad? She smiled sadly at the Crystal and held it out to Jasper.

"You can have it. I don't think that I have any use for contacting Gem leaders." She said.

Jasper looked at her like she was completely crazy. Maybe. She wouldn't doubt it.

"You're giving it to me?! Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

She smiled, softly, "Yeah, I am. I just have a feeling you'll put it to better use than I can."

Jasper didn't say a word as she carefully took it and placed it in her gem for safe keeping. She grabbed her box of bubbled corruptions.

"Shall we? I still need to see if the song is the answer to corruption." She spoke more cheerfully now.

Penelope went over to the warp pad and glared at it. She was making an effort to get used to it, but she still despises the contraption.

"Glaring at it will not make it any easier, sister." Jasper chuckled.

"I know." She responded, dryly.

None of the less, she walked onto the warp pad with Jasper and off they went with some incoherent muttering from her afterward. When she finally looked around, her eyes widened at the red rock walls miles high above her. She felt insignificant in comparison.

"Welp, welcome to Beta, Pinky," Jasper said, walking passed her.

She quickly followed after her, looking around as she did, "This is where you were made?"

"Yep. This is home," she confirmed.

She frowned at the disfigured holes. She's never seen a Kindergarten before, but even she can tell that these holes weren't right. She felt sorry for the gems that were born here. She had a feeling that, despite what everyone else thought about them, that they were actually really great Gems.

"I feel sorry for these Gems. I bet they're really nice." She commented, looking the various holes, "Was it all just Jaspers here?"

"Nah, there were Carnelians, too. We were at war so, this place was a rush job. I was the only 'Perfect' quartz." She explained.

"Have you been in contact with the other Betas?"

"No. It's kind of hard to when we're under different Diamonds."

"That's stupid. They're like your sisters, right? You should at least be able to keep in touch!"

Jasper chuckled, "I'd like to see you tell that to the Diamonds!"

"Then, take me to them so I can tell it to their face." Penelope retorted.

Jasper laughed, "You're a riot, you know that?"

"I just don't have very many fears with the way I lived. But, even so, it's okay to be afraid. It can make you stronger in the end." She reasoned, then spotted a giant hole, "I take it that's yours?"

Jasper looked at the one she was referring to and grinned, "Yep, that's my hole."

"Was the flexing necessary?"

"I didn't really have a reason for it. But, it does make a good first impression."

"True. I'll give you credit for that. So, where did you set us up at?"

"Over there. Come on."

Jasper led her down a section of the canyon to an open area where there were already quite a bit of corruptions in their cages. Penelope whistled, "You work fast."

"Thanks." Jasper grinned proudly.

Penelope set down the box, "Okay. If we split these ten in half, we can start on the first part of the experiment right away. The other side is the control group and this will be the main group. Once again, this is just to prove my theory about the song. Maybe, get some insight if we're lucky. Got it?"

Jasper phased into her uniform, "Right."

"Why do you use your uniform for stuff like this?"

She shrugged, "I don't want to get those clothes dirty."

Penelope laughed, "Okay, I'll leave you to it. Over there, right?"

"Yeah, just follow that path and it'll lead you there. It's a small kindergarten, so you shouldn't get too lost."

Penelope ran off and found the area. Fifteen minutes later, she had her half contained. She apologized to each of them as well. She prays that this will work. As she turned to leave she noticed that she can't remember which way she came from. She picked a direction and ran through it like a pinball. She stopped short when she saw the warp pad. She went in a nearly full circle.

"Dratz!" She muttered, "Well, it could've been worst."

At that moment, the warp pad activated. Something was coming. Panicking slightly, she jumped behind the canyon wall out of sight. She peeked over to find Steven, Amethyst, and a tiny green gem she never seen before.

The green Gem kept ranting on about how Beta was insignificant in comparison to Prime. She followed them, not liking how the green gem was bad-mouthing the poor Betas. But, she did get some insight. Like how Beta was created in the middle of the war. She felt sorry for the Betas.

After a while, they reached Jasper's hole. She watched with amusement as the green gem actually checked out Jasper's hole with several different methods. All humorous in their own way. She nearly blew her cover laughing. She lost her humor when she came down from the hole with a nervous look on her face. They asked her what was wrong.

"Actually, I... I never seen an exit hole this perfect..." She admitted.

Penelope frowned. This is why Jasper kept thinking she was perfect, they kept telling her that she was. So, she believed them. Penelope clinched her fist in anger at Homeworld. She really didn't like how they judged even Jasper's sisters. They may not be perfect, but she believed that they're just as good!

She saw the the jealous look on Amethyst face and her heart broke. Was Amethyst envious of Jasper? Why? She thought Amethyst was perfect just the way she is. Besides, even Jasper had her flaws. But, they were still perfect cause they were themselves. The world shouldn't be clouded by envy. Nobody's perfect; especially the Diamonds.

Penelope sighed, thinking that she got too involved with this. But, she couldn't help it. Fate led her to Jasper and the Crystal Gems for a reason. Maybe, she needs to cure the Corruptions. Maybe, she needs to prevent another war between Earth and Homeworld. Or maybe, she needs to help them like they've helped her.

Her mind set, she turned to let them know that she was there, but stopped before she could even make a sound. She heard Steven tell her she can be whatever she wanted to be. She gave a small smile. Maybe... Maybe, she was too quick to judge him. She still won't forgive him for that parent comment... But, she'll give him a little credit as Amethyst said she'll beat Jasper.

She grinned, but noticed that the others frowned and tried to talk her out of it. She face-palmed, quietly. She wanted to yell at them to stopped telling people want they can and can not do! Amethyst can do it if she put her all into it! She nearly giggled when Amethyst named the holes she was going to do it for. Then watched as they noticed and discussed one of the holes that Jasper dug out. She panicked. At this rate, they were going to find Jasper and her experiment area! She had to warn her!

She, carefully, snuck pass them and raced to find Jasper. It didn't take her long. She found her quieting the corruptions, usually kicking the bars to their make shift cages. She, slightly, winched, but she'll yell at Jasper later.

"Ja—" She started to call out, but got interrupted by Jasper's yelling.

"Quiet, you! What happened to you? You used to be a Quartz soldier and now this! I can't believe that I have to reduce myself to recruiting you abominations! You remind me of that half-baked runt! This planet ruins everything! Well, except for me, of course." Jasper ranted on. It looked like she still haven't noticed her, yet, "You got what you deserve. We all get what we deserve. Right, Amethyst?!"

Penelope gasped, quietly, as Amethyst fell. She didn't notice her either. She doesn't think anyone did, really. She felt like she was watching a scene unfold in a movie. She watched as they continued talking. She found out that the little green Gem was indeed the Peridot Jasper came to Earth with, proudly stating that she was with the Crystal Gems and had uncontrollable metal powers. She'll introduce herself later, she just saw Jasper put her helmet on and the fight began.

At first, Jasper was pushed back, but after a bit, Jasper became unaffected by Amethyst's whips. Penelope blinked. She felt the sting of being slapped hard on the cheek and the numbing burn that came after it. She continued to silently glare up at the Mafia Boss, who sneered back at her in rage. They were in his dark office. The air reeked heavily of cigar smoke, sweat, and alcohol, dense with the tension between the two of them. A stalemate; an unbreakable staring contest.

"Worthless brat." He growled with a Russian accent.

She blinked, again. She was back at Beta. An injector just hit the ground, making her jump. The fight had progressed. How long was she gone? Minutes? She couldn't tell. She saw an explosion of light that blinded her a bit. When the bright light resided, she saw in its place a gem she never seen before. She widened in wonder as she heard Jasper call her a fusion. Her mouth dropped open, Steven and Amethyst fused into that?! If she can puke rainbows, she'd be doing it by now.

The fusion, who called herself Smoky Quartz, was cute and funny. She had her own personality! Penelope drooled in amazement as she wondered if she and Jasper will fuse into something just as amazing.

She snapped out of it and shook her head. She had to stop the fight! Jasper was getting beat up by giant yo-yo at this point!

"Stop it!" She yelled, phasing her gauntlets as she deflected the giant yo-yo into the cliff face.

Smoky looked shocked, "Penelope?!"

"Stay out of this, sister! This is between me and her!" Jasper barked.

"All of you are going to stop fighting before I have all of you bubbled!" Penelope snapped, "We shouldn't be fighting! Especially, you and Amethyst! You both are the same if you just stop fighting and talk to each other for once!"

"She's done more harm than good, no offense." Smoky said, "I mean she talked about recruiting these guys for an army. That sounds like an evil plan to me."

"That's because I'm the reason these corruptions are all gathered here! I was about to conduct an experiment to cure them! Auntie was just helping me!" Penelope yelled at her.

"Auntie? Jasper's your aunt? I did not see that one coming!" Smoky remarked.

"It's called being unpredictable. Try it sometime." Penelope smirked.

Smoky smiled at her, then looked behind her. She threw her yo-yo in Jasper's direction. Jasper was going towards Crazy, who was trying to get out of her makeshift hold. Penelope frowned. Why would she go for Crazy? From her personal experience, Crazy was the most aggressive Gem Corruption she'd encountered. She watched as Jasper got hit twice with Smoky's yo-yo. As Smoky appeared in front of her, Jasper continued towards Crazy.

"What's the rush, Auntie Jasper? I thought things were going great between us?" Smoky teased.

"I will not lose to another fusion!" Jasper raged, as she grabbed Crazy's jaws.

Penelope gasped in fear as a light began to enveloped them. Biggs' warning rang in her head like an air raid siren. She didn't have very many fears, but her biggest fear was to lose the only person she had to a family. She took off at speed of light and grabbed both gems with her gauntlets before their forms could merge.

"NO! I won't let you become a monster! YOU PROMISED!" Penelope screamed at Jasper's Gem as she used all her might to rip them apart and threw Jasper's gem as far away from Crazy as possible.

She couldn't look to see where Jasper landed as she had to deal with a very aggressive Crazy. She tried to block Crazy's swipe as she was thrown into the cliff side; hard. She heard someone called out to her, but she was a little disoriented from the crash. She never took her eyes off Crazy, though, as she dodged the next hit despite the handicap. Crazy always did hated her for some reason.

She quickly put some distant between them. Her eyes readjusted themselves and she saw her gauntlets dispersed. She noticed the numbing pain in her Gem and head. She was lucky for the adrenaline rush to keep her moving right now. She won't last another hit. Her eyes landed on Jasper, who looked shocked, angry, and confused by what she'd done.

" _Oh, how the mighty Gods have fallen so far from the thrones of Heaven into the burning pools of sulfur in Hell_." She laughed, dryly.

Jasper's eyes widened in confusion, "Penelope…?"

Crazy growled at her ready to strike again, but her eyes remained on Jasper.

Penelope looked at her sadly, "You want to be a monster that badly that you're willing to destroy yourself? Fine! But, what am I to you?! Was all that time we spent together that meaningless to you?! You say no one ever wants to be with you, but I've always been next to you this whole time! You're just too much of a clod to see me! You're the only person I ever had to call a family! I could care less of everything else, including Earth!… I just want to be with you… Is that too much to ask?"

Crazy charged at her as she whispered her prayer, "One last time… for **her**."

Penelope summoned everything she had left into one hit. Her gauntlets never reformed. Instead, from her fist glowed into a bright pink light that engulfed the Beta Kindergarten.

As the light faded, all the others could see from where they were was a poofed Crazy and the fading glow of her cracked Pink Diamond as Penelope's world went black.

* * *

 _ **The End is only the Beginning.**_

 **There are drawings on my Tumblr page under the username of alpha-ellis. I'll be posting some art of Penelope and the others as I go. If you have fan art, please tag it with my username. Mainly, cause Penelope is my OC, but I want to be able to see other people's work and this is the best way to go.**

 **As always, please review.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Ellis Alpha**

* * *

 **Who Am I**

"You can save her... Right, Rose...?"


End file.
